The Irony of Obama being in the White House
Unlike the norm in American politics, where leaders have a political background, Obama came from a family that never knew about politics. Obama's people did not encourage Obama to join politics but advised him to pursue another career. Obama's biological father wrote a letter to him while in college encouraging him to study architecture. As fate could dictate, Obama ended up going against the odds to become the President of the United States of America. While in the White House, Obama reflects on his journey and wonders how he made it to the presidency. Obama writes, “In moments like these, I would wonder at the strange path – and the idea – that had brought me to this place.”
The Irony of Ann Dunham, Obama’s mother
Most women who divorce their husbands often demand inheritance or child upkeep even if they have their resources. Satirically, Obama's mother is a tough woman who makes her own decisions, and she makes up her mind to raise her children as a single mother using her standards. Obama was brought up by his mother, who at the same time acted as a father figure. Obama's biological father was absent throughout his life. Despite this, Ann decided to be a responsible parent. Obama writes, "Incensed by societal constraints put upon women; she'd divorce both men when they proved overbearing or disappointing, carving out a career of her choosing, raising her kids according to her standards of decency, and pretty much doing whatever she damn well pleased."
The irony of Obama’s biological father
Obama's father was an absentee dad, and he divorced his wife ten years ago when their son was born. Despite being separated from his father for many years, Ann did not teach Obama junior to dislike his father at any point. Satirically, Obama senior traveled to see Obama junior ten years after he was born. The reader wonders what kind of a father could disappear and appear after a long time to bond with his son. The reader also finds it ironic that Obama saw his father only once for the entirety of his life. Obama says, "Since I didn’t know my father, he didn’t have much input. I vaguely understood that he had worked for the Kenyan government when I was ten; he traveled from Kenya to stay with us for a month in Honolulu. That was the first and last I saw of him."
The irony of Obama as a smoker
Obama remembers when he got addicted to drugs and smoking while in college. According to Obama, frustrations resulting from unanswered questions in his life drove him to drug abuse. Close friends encouraged Obama to quit smoking, but he just ignored them because they told him the truth. Ironically, an individual can decide to refuse to listen to the truth even when he knows that people are trying to help. Obama writes, “The few friends I had in New York tried to offer similar advice. I resisted these voices. I resisted precisely because I feared they were right.”
The Irony of Michelle
Michelle's brother and her family knew that she had a different character because she was a tough woman. The family worried that Michelle could find it hard to get married because no man could tolerate her toughness. At the age of 25, Michelle was already a working-class woman as a lawyer, and she knew how to defend her rights and challenge men. Ironically, when Obama learned from Craig, Michelle's brother, that she had a weird character, he gladly said that he needed such kind of a woman to challenge his thinking. Therefore, what seemed like Michelle's weakness to her family, turned out to be her strength in getting the man of her dreams.
