Rhetorical Analysis Of Jfk Speech

In 1962, many remembered the great depression that struck 30 years earlier and the economy was just recovering from another recession, so when the steel prices for the major steel company rose by 3.5 percent, major fear spread in concern of another recession. The rise in steel companies was also not great for the government because it would raise the cost of defense by one billion dollars. President John F. Kennedy held a news conference to rally the people to incite support for his efforts to reverse the price change by challenging the steel company 's decision, by describing the government 's attempt to fix the problem, and by setting the steel companies apart from the common interest.

Throughout the speech Kennedy rallies the people by inciting a feeling of justice because the steel company actions went against the public interest. One of the most effective times he does this is when he states that "the American people will find it hard, as I do, tiny handful of steel executives whose pursuit of private power and profit exceeds their sense of public responsibility can show such utter contempt for the interest of 185 million American". In this sentence Kennedy links himself to the audience by claiming that he and the American people feel the same way. Throughout the speech he tries to rally support for his cause and by connecting himself with the audience he helps makes his cause theirs also. At the same time, he draws attention to the differences between the common