JFK Inaugural Address

The two essays and the picture in question all have differing styles. All of the pieces also contain different focuses, which contribute to their difference in style and tone. Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961 is an account of the words that John F Kennedy spoke shortly after being sworn into the office of the president of the United States. Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration, 50 Years On by Eleanor Clift is a collection of personal of individuals who were present at the event in 1961. Inauguration of John F. Kennedy, the photograph captured by the United States Army of Signal Corps, shows a clear depiction of the event. These three pieces all share a common goal but approach that goal in a variety of ways.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Junior’s, speech at his inaugural address in 1961 is undeniably a masterpiece of the persuasive arts. Although the speech is short as such speeches go, and although its main persuasive device is pathos alone, the masterful skill with which Kennedy’s speech is written makes it one of the most moving and effective political speeches to date. Kennedy’s vivid use of diction and metaphor, as well as his extremely memorable syntax, are particularly strong and successful.

On Friday, January 20, 1961 John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as 35th President of the United States. In his Inaugural Address President Kennedy delivered a speech to unite and celebrate the peaceful transition of power that stands to this day as one of the most powerful addresses in modern history. Widely considered a call to action, President Kennedy challenged the American people to move beyond the precincts of the past to make a difference to move the world into an era of peace and prosperity. His promise to the other states on the world stage was no less spectacular when he swore “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,

“For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.” This quote from the 35th president of the United States set a precedent of greatness for our country. The man who set such a precedent was John F. Kennedy. A very persuasive and well-read man, when he gave his inaugural address, our nation and the world knew we were in good hands. JFK not only was well-read, he gave moving speeches. He used rhetorical devices such as anaphora, parallel structure, and rhetorical questions to appeal to the listener and future reader’s sense of pathos.

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. Kennedy accomplished what every speaker strives for and surpassed it by capturing the hearts of the audience and inspiring the people’s trust.

As President Kennedy enters office he gives an speech on the celebration of freedom; symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning of a new nation. Kennedy rises for the opportunity for persuasion after his inauguration has been addressed and he scarcely beats nixon.President Kennedy uses his authority for persuasion to bring the american people together under his power. The president uses the experience of war,poverty,and the desire for peace to develop an emotional appeal between the U.S and the world population. In this speech Kennedy uses ethos,pathos,logos,as well as other rhetorical devices to convince the audience.

John F. Kennedy uses literary devices to capture the attention of the audience, sets himself equal to his audience getting their attention and support, and uses the christian religion to strike the emotions and gain the support of his audience.

The power of persuasion is one that has proved its influence all throughout the history of humanity, convincing the masses to think as one body. This talent is not without practice or order however, even those talented with influence must be organized and eloquently sew their words together to prove a point. Only arguments that can appeal to all are able to be successful. In President John F. Kennedy’s Speech “Peace Speech”, examples of Aristotle's Modes of Persuasion are used. Kennedy uses the appeal of his credibility (Ethos), emotion (Pathos), and logic (Logos) to support his argument against war.

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. Kennedy uses the words we twenty eight times, us twelve times and our twenty one times.

In 1961, the United States of America was struggling to fight communism internationally and protect its people from negative outside forces. Along with these complications, there were struggles with racial and social inequalities. The country was on the brink of its breaking point, needing a resilient and reassuring leader; President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural speech, offered the people of the United States the reassurance they desired. A hortatory tone was used by the president to deliver and convey a sense of inspiration to a country whose people needed it greatly. Kennedy applied interpersonal diction and the meticulous use of aphorisms to unceasingly inspire the citizens of America to unite and serve their country, and the world,

We are inspired by great speeches because of the way they are rhetorically crafted to make us feel. The best speeches are not the ones that are informational, it’s the ones that tug at our heartstrings. John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, Martin L. King’s I Have a Dream Speech, and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms State of the Union Address use a variety of literary devices in their speech to motivate and cajole their audiences to defend our liberties.

The Inaugural speech by John F. Kennedy is a landmark type of speech that was given to the American populace in order to inspire confidence and to provoke them to take immediate action. His speech made extensive use of rhetorical devices in order to successfully express his goals. His stylistic devices include antithesis, parallelism, and varying structure flows in order to attract attention and to show what his service will accomplish. Kennedy details “a new generation of Americans” by contrasting old and new with his antithesis. He states, “Symbolizes an end as well as a beginning” and “signifies renewal as well as change” in order to do so. This connects the younger generation of Americans and the older generation. He unites them under one goal and one purpose by using antithesis, ignoring their differences, and prepares them for what’s there to come in the future.

In 1962, in the midst of the international space race, steel prices in the U.S. began to rise. In this speech delivered by John F. Kennedy, he claims that there is no justification for these increasing steel prices through the use of logos and pathos.

John F. Kennedy, also known as JFK, is perhaps the most-loved president in American history. Our 35th President of the United States served from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. Although he was young and did not get to serve his full term he accomplished many great things. All these documents embody the beginning of an admirable presidency and the commencement of a new hope for a nation gone forlorn.

The 1960s in America was a decade where many problems occurred and much change was made. Some of those issues were racial segregation and foreign policy. Two of the most influential and inspirational people then were Martin Luther King Jr., and John F. Kennedy. King was an African American who fought for an end to racial segregation and was committed to this important issue.  He delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech in August of 1963 in front of Washington D.C.’s Lincoln Memorial. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States and wanted a great way to improve relations with other nations. He delivered his presidential inaugural address in January of 1961 in Washington D.C. These two incredible speeches are both similar and different, in terms of whom the speeches were composed for, use of figurative language, and how the issues discussed continue to affect society today.