John F. Kennedy's inaugural address effectively employed the rhetorical strategies of pathos, ethos, and logos to inspire and unify the American people, while also outlining his vision for the future of the country. John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, given on January 20, 1961, is widely considered one of the most iconic speeches in American history. Throughout his speech, Kennedy masterfully employs the rhetorical devices of pathos, ethos, and logos to inspire and motivate the American people. Perhaps one of the most striking examples of Kennedy's use of pathos can be found in his call to service. He appeals to the emotions of the American people by urging them to take on the "great unfinished business of our nation" and to "ask not what
Throughout his speech, Kennedy carries himself with a magnetic charisma through his use of pathos and sympathy in order to win over the citizens of West Germany. Kennedy's speech is a statement of solidarity; from the beginning, he builds a notion of sympathy to his German audience through referring to himself as a “guest” and calling his two hosts “distinguished” men (1-3). Kennedy uses the symbol of General Clay, “who has been in this city during its great moments of crisis and will come again if ever needed,” (5-6) to establish a trust between America and Germany using one symbolic person, which weighs more than an impalpable nation (Mueck). Kennedy then alludes to the Roman Empire, where two millennia ago the “proudest boast was ‘civis
In the 1960s America had just gotten out of a war and Rising tensions with the Soviets we expected to get into another one, along with that John F. Kennedy just got elected, this is what he has to say. It was 1961 when Kennedy gave his inaugural speech, it was practically oozing with rhetorical strategies. Kennedy new kind of state Country was in, so with this speech he needed to comfort the people of America, he does this by using rhetorical strategies ethos, pathos, logos. First we will evaluate the ethos / logos.
Alysia Bamesberger Rhetorical Analysis January 20, 1961, the day that President John F. Kennedy gave his inaugural speech. The time that Kennedy took office, America wasn’t in the best position. They were lacking hope, confidence and power. With that being said, he had to use a mass of rhetorical devices that helped persuade the people of the United States, as well as other countries. Which lead Kennedy to convincing the audience using ethos, pathos, and logos.
On a cold January day in 1961, 20,000 people gathered to listen to a speech that would be remembered years later. John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address projected youth and vigor to inspire his audience, not only those people present but people who listened all around the world. What made his speech so thought evoking and effective was his skill at applying schemes such as parallelism, antimetabole,and anaphora to create a sense of unity between his audience and furthermore the United States and other nations. Moreover he appealed greatly to ethos, logos, and pathos, making his speech personal and persuasive to his audience. Speaker, audience, and context are important in this speech.
He appeals to each and every person as stated “Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, reverend clergy, fellow citizens, we observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom – symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning – signifying renewal, as well as change.” This brought to attention that he leaves nobody behind, and is concerned for the wellbeing of each person. The appeal of logos began to open up as he shows trust in his fellow Americans to do what is right “In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine”, and that they could do more for their nation than he can do alone. And later states “I do not shrink from this responsibility – I welcome it” giving the audience reassurance that he is a strong leader willing to take on whatever will come his
Although America’s thirty-fifth president’s name became memorable primarily through his assassination, John F. Kennedy gave a powerful inaugural speech through his use of rhetoric. The essence of his speech nurtured the idea that the country will only flourish if everyone works to construct “a grand and global alliance” (23). To evoke emotions from his listeners, Kennedy used pathos-- the rhetorical device that purposely grasps resonating feelings and highlights them. Allusions to the Bible connected to ethos, giving credibility where needed; whereas his use of anaphora stressed the essence of his message. Kennedy’s message to America was that coming together to “lead the land we love” (27) will make our country, and the entire world, a better place.
The inaugural address of the president is the first time that the candidate that the American people elected speaks with the influence and authority of the president. Because of this, the address can be extremely influential to both the nation, their term, and the influence of the president in office. Therefore, the inaugural address is very important and needs to be clear and powerful. Because of the importance of this address, using proper rhetoric is vital to the success of the speech. It is only through the balance of logic, emotion, and reputation that the speech properly put forth its message.
Johnson used these emotions to urge members of Congress and the American people “not to hesitate, not to pause, not to turn about and linger over this evil moment, but to continue on our course so that we may fulfill the destiny that history has set for
he speeches delivered by John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address and Martin Luther King Jr. in his "I Have a Dream" speech during the 1960s both reflected their desires and hopes for a better society, and these aspirations were deeply rooted in the principles embodied by the Magna Carta, also known as the Great Charter. By carefully analyzing the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos in each speech and exploring historical documents that resonate with their messages, we can gain a deeper understanding of the ideas presented by Kennedy and King and how they align with the timeless ideals of justice, freedom, and equality. ("President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address (1961)," National Archives, September 29, 2021)
On January 20,1961, President John F. Kennedy was sworn into office and delivered one of the most famous and remembered inaugural addresses (speech) on U.S. history. He was calling upon Americans citizens to act in support of their government and citizens from all nations all over the world to join together in peace to benefit all of mankind. Kennedy motivated Americans to defend freedom and democracy and introduced a new era of change with his tactics for presidency. In JFK’s Inaugural speech, he builds up his fellow Americans pride and calls the nation to support their country in many ways. He approaches these goals subtly though, and uses of string of rhetoric to increase the odds of a positive public reaction.
President Kennedy’s Inaugural Address is widely known as one of the most iconic speeches in American history. This speech holds many quotes that are very recognizable. In President Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, by President John F. Kennedy, the main purpose of the speech is to urge his audience to take action, for all Americans to work together and cooperate to achieve a better future for everyone, and how he is passing his torch down to the next generation of Americans; this is done through President Kennedy's speech. Kennedy expresses the need to make a commitment to service and to use the power of one’s own actions to create a positive change for the better.
The following rhetorical question from John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s Inaugural address is debatably one of most recognizable quotes in American history. “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country” (Kennedy). He uses this rhetorical question to end the graciously written speech and leaves the reader pondering the answer with a call to
After having a probable goal which built in the repetition, JFK’s audience now had a path toward it. At the second place, JFK utilized two similar sentences “my fellow...ask not what...do for you...but what...can do for” to encourage Americans to contemplate what they could do for America. Besides let JFK’s words become pleasant to hear, the fluent conversion between two sentences also sublimed its level from person to society, and shifted its topic from America to the freedom
Oziel Rios S. Nambiar English 1302. SP3 12 February 2018 Kennedy Inaugural Address Rhetorical Analysis On Friday, January of 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy delivered a speech to the citizens of the United States of America and the world. Kennedy made a speech that he knew would be remembered for many years to come even after his presidential term.
The significant purpose of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address was to bring unity among the people of the America. As a result of winning by just a small margin, there were many viewers of Kennedy’s speech who were not in favor of Kennedy as President. This motivates Kennedy to win the people over with his speech. Kennedy attempts to portray the idea of unity of the people to achieve his goal of bringing the people together no matter their differences or opinions. The use of rhetorical devices, specifically in the beginning and end of his speech, helps Kennedy to embed the idea of unity among the people.