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Jfk Inaugural Address Rhetorical Devices

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In his inaugural speech on January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy steps forward to the podium and, in front of millions of people, delivers a very motivational, uplifting but, serious speech. After taking the oath to become the 35th president of the United States of America, Kennedy proceeds to talk to the citizens of America to let them know what his further actions will be and that he will do everything within his power to lead America as best as he can. With the use of many rhetorical devices and very simple language, John F. Kennedy was able to successfully deliver his message, not just to America, but to the whole world. After analyzing Kennedy’s speech, the first thing that really stands out is Kennedy’s use of rhetorical devices, but more specifically, his use of antithesis. You do not have to go far into the speech to find an example of this. In the matter of fact, he uses antithesis three times just within the first sentence when he says, “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” (Kennedy 1). The reason Kennedy jumps straight into antithesis is because it helps bring attention to the main points that he wants to focus on. In other words, with the use of rhetorical …show more content…

This device is very simple, but very effective because it gives the speech a very poem-like feeling, and poetry is easy to remember. An example of this can be seen when Kennedy says, “Let both sides explore […] Let both sides formulate […] Let both sides seek […] Let both side unite” (Kennedy 15). In other words, this parallel structure really puts emphasis on what Kennedy was trying to say and because of the repeating lines, the message really stays in the heads of the audience. Kennedy mastered rhetoric, but it was the very simple language he used that really did the

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