Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
submerge it in other people’s narratives
English answer:
he makes his own background/backstory blend in with other people's
Added to glossary by
Yvonne Gallagher
Jul 23, 2016 22:17
7 yrs ago
English term
21 books translated
Native in: Russian 
Works in: English to Russian, Russian to English, Spanish to Russian, and 1 more.
submerge it in other people’s narratives
English
Other
Management
Hello everyone,
Another reviewer, Gary Willis, summarizes Remnick’s explanation of Obama’s fluidity: “Accused of not being black enough, he could show that he has more direct ties to Africa than most African Americans have. Suspected of not being American enough, he appealed to his mother’s Midwest origins and accent. Touring conservative little towns in southern Illinois, he could speak the language of the Kansan grandparents who raised him. He is a bit of a chameleon or shape-shifter, but he does not come across as insincere—that is the importance of his famous ‘cool.’ He does not have the hot eagerness of the con man. Though his own background is out of the ordinary, he has the skill to ***submerge it in other people’s narratives***, even those that seem distant from his own.”
Does "he has the skill to submerge it in other people’s narratives" means that when Obama talks about his background he does not give much detals about it preferring to talk about other people?
Thank you.
Another reviewer, Gary Willis, summarizes Remnick’s explanation of Obama’s fluidity: “Accused of not being black enough, he could show that he has more direct ties to Africa than most African Americans have. Suspected of not being American enough, he appealed to his mother’s Midwest origins and accent. Touring conservative little towns in southern Illinois, he could speak the language of the Kansan grandparents who raised him. He is a bit of a chameleon or shape-shifter, but he does not come across as insincere—that is the importance of his famous ‘cool.’ He does not have the hot eagerness of the con man. Though his own background is out of the ordinary, he has the skill to ***submerge it in other people’s narratives***, even those that seem distant from his own.”
Does "he has the skill to submerge it in other people’s narratives" means that when Obama talks about his background he does not give much detals about it preferring to talk about other people?
Thank you.
Change log
Jul 25, 2016 08:56: Yvonne Gallagher Created KOG entry
Jul 25, 2016 08:57: Yvonne Gallagher changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/1300525">Yvonne Gallagher's</a> old entry - "submerge it in other people’s narratives"" to ""he makes his own background/backstory blend in with other peoples'""
Responses
+5
39 mins
Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
&
English
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: US, Canadian, Irish, UK) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
51
Selected
no, he makes his background blend in and seem ordinary
I read this as meaning that Obama has the gift of seemingly blending in with other "ordinary" people. He has quite an exotic background "Though his own background is out of the ordinary" but he is a "chameleon" so can mix in with others from many backgrounds and match them in tone ...he can point to his African background on one hand and to his Midwest background on the other. (It doesn't say it here but he also made a trip to Ireland a few years ago to highlight his Irish ancestry ...6 generations back! but useful when it comes to voters)
His skill is being able to appeal to a range of people from different backgounds "submerging" or blending his own narrative or backstory with their different narratives
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Note added at 11 hrs (2016-07-24 09:29:41 GMT)
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and this is explained in the following lines
"[Obama] shifted accent and cadences depending on the audience: a more straight-up delivery for a luncheon of businesspeople in the Loop [in downtown Chicago]; a folksier approach at a downstate V.F.W. [a veterans organization]; echoes of the pastors of the black church when he was in one...Obama crafted his speech to fit the moment..."
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Note added at 1 day10 hrs (2016-07-25 08:54:36 GMT) Post-grading
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glad to have helped
His skill is being able to appeal to a range of people from different backgounds "submerging" or blending his own narrative or backstory with their different narratives
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2016-07-24 09:29:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
and this is explained in the following lines
"[Obama] shifted accent and cadences depending on the audience: a more straight-up delivery for a luncheon of businesspeople in the Loop [in downtown Chicago]; a folksier approach at a downstate V.F.W. [a veterans organization]; echoes of the pastors of the black church when he was in one...Obama crafted his speech to fit the moment..."
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Note added at 1 day10 hrs (2016-07-25 08:54:36 GMT) Post-grading
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glad to have helped
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Yasutomo Kanazawa
: A gifted talent. Maybe he could get a job at Hollywood next time.
5 hrs
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Thanks!...Yes indeed, Hollywoood awaits! Trump the complete opposite
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| agree |
Jack Doughty
7 hrs
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Thank you:-)
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| agree |
Armorel Young
8 hrs
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Thank you:-)
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| agree |
Lingua 5B
9 hrs
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Thank you:-)
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| agree |
Piyush Ojha
9 hrs
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Thank you:-)
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you, Gallagy."
Discussion
Obama worked hard to develop his broad stylistic repertory, says Remnick: “He subtly shifted accent and cadences depending on the audience: a more straight-up delivery for a luncheon of businesspeople in the Loop [in downtown Chicago]; a folksier approach at a downstate V.F.W. [a veterans organization]; echoes of the pastors of the black church when he was in one. Obama is multilingual, a shape-shifter . . . Like the child of immigrants who can speak one language at home, another at school, and another with his friends—and still be himself—Obama crafted his speech to fit the moment. It was a skill that had taken years to develop.