An insightful use of language

I read this quote this morning in Roger Cohen’s op-ed piece in the New York Times. With the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, someone emailed the following to Mr. Cohen:

Rosa Parks sat in 1955. Martin Luther King walked in 1963. Barack Obama ran in 2008. That our children might fly.

Talk to your kids about the uses of these words, what they imply and mean about each era and how they demonstrate a trajectory in American history. Nice little history lesson in four lines, and a powerful use of language.

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2 Responses to “An insightful use of language”

  1. JoVE says:
    November 6, 2008 at 11:52 am

    I’ve seen that quote floating around a bit lately. It is a good one. Thanks for pointing out the power of the structure.

  2. wonderfarm · presidential says:
    November 7, 2008 at 11:23 am

    […] fellow word-lovers, check out this inspiring post on the power of words in this […]