And we have so much work to do in America, because all across America, there are walls ... There's a wall around Washington, D.C. The American people are, today, on the outside of that wall. And on the inside are the big corporations and the lobbyists who are working to protect a system that takes care of them. ... There is another wall that divides us. It's the moral shame of 37 million of our own people who wake up in poverty every single day This is not OK. And for eight long, long years, this wall has gotten taller And there's also a wall that's divided our image in the world. The America as the beacon of hope is behind that wall. And all the world sees now is a bully. They see Iraq, Guantanamo, secret prison and government that argues that water boarding is not torture. This is not OK. That wall has to come down for the sake of our ideals and our security. We can change this. We can change it. Yes we can. If we stand together, we can change it. ... This is not going to be easy. It's going to be the fight of our lives. But we're ready, because we know that this election is about something bigger than the tired old hateful politics of the past. This election is about taking down these walls that divide us, so that we can see what's possible -- what's possible, that one America that we can build together.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author describes physical and moral barriers separating citizens from power and ideals.
- In plain terms
- There are walls keeping people out of Washington and separating them from hope and safety.
- What can you take from it?
- Government transparency and moral integrity are needed to remove these barriers.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What barriers exist between citizens and government?
- How can trust in government be restored?
Another view
The metaphor of walls may oversimplify structural issues.
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