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John F Kennedy Ethos Pathos Logos

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How does a president convey to the Americans the severity of an economic distress? How does he prove to the Americans that what he proposes is the correct resolution? It all depends upon the argument the president presents to the American people, whether it addresses a solution or not. On April 10, 1962, President John F. Kennedy speaks to the American people, addressing and calling out the injustices of the rapid inflation of steel prices and his call for a national sacrifice for stable prices and wages with the use of ethos (credibility), pathos (emotional connection), and logos (logical facts). Kennedy’s point of reprimanding the steel companies is achieved through his use of pathos, or drawing in the audience with an emotional connection. Kenedy first establishes an emotional trigger by reminding the audience that a war is taking place. For example, kennedy brings up the deaths of servicemen and reinforcing the need for every American to sacrifice for the greater cause: the soldiers who are risking their lives. As he continues his pledge, Kennedy then questions …show more content…

Through his provision of the expenses Americans will have to pay, it is made apparent that this inflation will have negative impact on the nation. For example, Kennedy explains through several calculations that Americans’ cash spending has increased rapidly over the past couple of years. He explains, “The industry’s cash dividends have exceeded 600 million dollars in each of the last five years…” (69-71). This evidence support his claim of the inflation of steel prices worsen the spending conditions. Furthermore, Kennedy states that the settlement between the industry and the union was against inflation, thus, his argument that the inflation is unjustifiable is proved. With these forms of evidence, Kennedy is able to convince the Americans of his argument and demonstrate how the national sacrifice program is

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