Inaugural Address of President John F. Kennedy is considered one of the best speeches in history, and among the shortest inaugural addresses, in just a quarter-hour. He describes these goals employing a style of rhetorical devices to reinforce the public reaction, which I think he did. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on thetwenty – nine May 1917 in the new affluent Catholic family (Mehlretter). He won the democratic nomination election in 1960. He lived a privileged life and was called a hedonist because he does not care about his studies.
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. In fact, Kennedy accomplished his goal and is still remembered today, as the best speech ever written and delivered. Kennedy presents his speech with strong Aristotelian appeals of ethos, pathos and the stylistic devices of alliteration and antithesis.
President John F. Kennedy was a man who expressed his feelings and concerns regarding America’s foes in his first inaugural address. President Kennedy shared his patriotism with the citizens of the United States, his love of freedom and peace upon all people, with an emphasis on equality for everyone, he expected people to do their part in defending these principles. President Kennedy’s life experiences exemplified his strength of character, his patriotism ran deep, and he was the defender of freedom and peace. John F. Kennedy served his country in many ways; he joined the military from 1941-1945 during World War II, and was a combat officer in the United States Navy, fighting in the South Pacific after Japan had just bombed Pearl Harbor.
In his speech Kennedy uses different rhetorical devices to unify the citizens of both the United States and the world. Kennedy was giving this speech after winning by a very small margin of votes so he was trying to unite the people of the United States and show he was the correct choice for the president. This speech was given during the Cold War so he was trying to connect the people around the whole world and establish peace. Kennedy was able to unify the people and try to establish peace while at the same time making himself seem like a very competent leader. In his speech Kennedy tries to build his credibility as a personable leader by creating ethos.
Another amazing thing Kennedy choses to do, is indirectly refer to god, at least most of the time. Kennedy, being the first Catholic president, has a difficult time in his run for office due to one major opinion: that he will break the barrier that lies between church and state. Although he mentions god directly in certain parts, as in line 2, “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. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.”, He also decides to allude to a biblical standpoint, and only those who read the bible would understand. For example, he chooses to talk about oppression in general, and quotes directly from the old testament.
He wanted us to work together to make a difference. In his famous speech, The Inaugural Address, he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country,” which revealed the need for cooperation and sacrifice (history). Kennedy said that the hard things bring our a person's best skills, and to not be afraid, because we will never give up. He wanted real peace, equal rights for all men and women, no matter what color, what race, that would last forever. He said that our nation would never be free unless all of its citizens were free
Former United States President, Lyndon B. Johnson, in his speech, Let us Continue, reflects on the assassination and presidency of John F. Kennedy. Johnson's purpose is to bring a feeling of peace within the American citizens and help them continue moving forward. He creates a nostalgic tone in order to convey a sense of sorrow and to resurface the dreams and aspirations oh John F. Kennedy in his audience. Johnson begins his speech by acknowledging that John F. Kennedy has been assassinated and reminds the Americans of Kennedy's aspiration by expressing his grief in the situation. He appeals to the emotions of the Americans by saying "No words are sad enough to express our sense of loss.
His diction is very inclusive; he commences his speech with several uses of the words ‘we’ and ‘our’, which makes way for inclusivity. JFK is blurring the distinction between citizen and superior governor by including the people in his proclamation. While describing the hardships and challenges that the country is facing, Kennedy mentions how imperative the occasion is on a global level; in the midst of the Cold War, he reminds his audience of the importance of uniting. Through the use of the lexical field of danger — words such as: ‘defiance’, ‘serious’, ‘risk’, and ‘sacrifice’ — he creates a feeling of tension and urgency, and engages his audience to the concern. To conclude his speech, the President mentions self-guilt on the part of the country on how they had not displayed the “sense of business responsibility” that they should have, a rhetorical strategy that approximates the audience to the government.
John F. Kennedy will always be remembered for two things― how his presidency started and how it ended. After winning a tight presidential race against Richard Nixon, Kennedy delivered his inaugural address on January 20, 1961. He addressed issues both the United States and world abroad were facing at the time due to rising tensions between nations amongst the Cold War. In the middle portion of his speech, Kennedy suggested what should be done to bring countries together, rather than divide them. He intended to reach citizens of the United States and individuals around the globe to spread a message of strength and hope.
The two sentences from his Berlin speech summed up the charisma Kennedy carried. These two sentences are collective rhetorical and emotive masterpieces. The comparison of one city, Berlin, to the Roman Empire of old encapsulates the power and emotions he wanted to instill in the people of Berlin. “Ich bin ein Berliner” was something to be proud of, something to be boastful of (even if a Berliner meant ‘jelly doughnut’ to all the German people outside Berlin). The blatant tendency of Kennedy to refute claims that Communism could be ideal is admirable.