On a January morning beset by abnormally frigid conditions in 1961, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy faced the nation, a nation that had only narrowly elected him to the seat of American power, to deliver his Inaugural Address. The task before him: to quell the fears of a cynical nation at the apex of the Cold War, wary of more international conflict. Dominating the content of his address is a call to action for the American people, a daunting task for a man just moments-deep into his presidency. Interwoven between overarching themes of peace, international presence, and service to others exists an intricately articulated argument, that America is duty-bound to service and that power must be harnessed to serve those of lesser fortune and …show more content…
While this address is primarily intended for the consumption of the American public, Kennedy employs an approach which introduces the address for global consumption in these paragraphs. Expanding the intended audience empowers his theme of presence on the global stage. As he seeks to move his fellow Americans to action, Kennedy uses these paragraphs to create a unified American voice. He then uses that voice to specifically reference different sectors of the globe. Doing this repetitively, he uses the parallel phrasing structure at the beginning of each paragraph in keeping with the cohesiveness of the unified voice that he …show more content…
One strong example of such an attempt—and an expert use of repetition—can be found beginning at paragraph fifteen and ranging through paragraph eighteen. He summons the audience to unity and action through the repetition of the phrase “let both sides”. Here, we find Kennedy appealing for unity to favor developments in science and technology, de-escalation of nuclear conflict, disease control, and problem solving. By utilizing repetition to assert these appeals, they become far more memorable and thus, more effective. As we approach the end of the address, we arrive at perhaps the most famous line of the address. The capstone “ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” (para. 25). Perhaps the most masterful use of parallelism in oral history, this line represents the capstone one of the biggest themes of Kennedy’s address: duty-bound service. In keeping with the theme of presence on the global stage, the president’s address employs parallelism doubly: “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” (para
Every president strives to remain positive in the public’s eye. Yes, a despised president can still hold office, but the country will always respond much more positively and remember the president better if he or she is viewed favorably. This is particularly true during times of great distress or crises, such as the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, or Hurricane Sandy in 2012. On April 10, 1962, the United States’ largest steel companies raised steel prices by 3.5 percent. President John F. Kennedy had repeatedly called for stable prices and wages, as the country was already under economic strain from foreign affairs. Kennedy held a news conference on April 11, 1962 in order to address this sharp increase in steel prices. He was well aware of the fact that he had to maintain a positive image to
It was on January 20th 1961 that John F Kennedy gave his inaugural address after winning the presidential race and beating future president Richard Nixon. President, John F Kennedy in his speech, The Inaugural Address, he describes his plans for growth in America. Kennedy’s purpose is unite the people of the U.S. and bring everyone together for the good cause of promoting growth in the country. He creates a very inspirational tone in order to establish a connection with the U.S. people. In his speech Kennedy really used several rhetorical strategies of persuasion to motivate and persuade the U.S. people that they made the right choice in choosing him.
Parallelism and pathos within Kennedy’s speech structure is evident in multiple locations. He uses parallelism o show how much the nation was already doing to pull itself out of the economic recession and to stress how raising prices could have a negative effect on the economy. He uses the phrase, “When we are confronted… when we are devoting… when we are asking…,” to show that the nation was dedicating their entire beings to help the nation, but that the rise
Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, he suggests that an obligation of freedom is to helping foreign countries. John F. Kennedy was America’s thirty-fifth president, and arguably one of the most influential before his assassination. In his, Inaugural Address, he discussed many issues, many of which dealt with the idea of freedom. While discusses these issues, he talks about many things that, to him, represent an obligation of freedom. An obligation of freedom being understood as something that should always be associated with freedom even if it is not discussed. One of these that Kennedy talks about in his address is helping foreign countries. In his address he states, “To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge-to convert our good words into good deeds-in a new alliance for progress-to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty.” This is a promise to foreign countries south of America that have already adopted the ideas of freedom that they will have our support and help in defeating poverty as a nation. Kennedy clearly saw helping foreign countries as an obligation of
“If a free society can not help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”(Kennedy, 1961) Statements such as these demonstrate how Kennedy appealed to the citizens by simply using reason. The use of logos in his speech was minimal compared to the use of pathos, and ethos.
This speech proves that Kennedy had a way with words and knew the best way to get a message across. He clearly expressed his feelings but did so without letting them take over. He didn’t scream or shout, but showed he could handle his anger while still letting it shine through. Kennedy used the three appeals, strong diction and syntax, and a well-organized structure of his ideas to convey his purpose; Raise anger in Americans and side with them, while making the steel companies feel guilty for their
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States of America was the youngest man to ever win the Presidential election at the age of 43. He was a well liked president, known for his youthfulness, high spirits and the commitments he made to the Unites States (O’Brien). During his inaugural speech, he stated that the U.S. would pledge “to convert our good words into good deeds” by forming alliances with the countries that border us. In order to prosper as a nation (“The Avalon”). President Kennedy had several great plans for this country and knew they “will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin” (“The Avalon”). Unfortunately, these plans were not carried out to their full extent because while riding in an open parade car in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, Kennedy was shot and killed. Kennedy did suffer hard times as far as international affairs go, but he is known for The Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty and the Alliance for Progress (“John”).
In conclusion, this speech was structured beautifully. Its use of figurative and expressive language makes it an unforgettable speech. Kennedy does a great job of using pathos, ethos, and logos to reiterate his commitment to the American public as well as discuss expected changes. Given the state of the world at the time of his inauguration, the decision to rely so heavily on pathos and ethos was a wise one which got the job done. His use of the rhetoric triangle effectively conveys Kennedy’s plan for America to not only her citizens, but to the world.
With famed verses like, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” Kennedy makes the spectators feel inclined to make an impact in the world they live in. Apart from infusing a sense of obligation in the crowd, Kennedy’s greatest element in his speech was the aptitude to arouse a feeling of esteem in the audience. Kennedy constantly uses phrases about freedom and sovereignty to remind the people they still are. “The heirs of that first revolution.” This dialect portrays America as a powerful and patriarchal republic that possesses greater philanthropy than all the other nations around the world.
With the tone of inspiration, hortatory, and powerful, an inaugural speech by President Kennedy clearly defines the ceremonial purpose based on the first aspect of social cohesion in freedom and liberty. At the very beginning, by using a youthful diction, President Kennedy shows his great achievement in winning the presidential election. Even at his young age, Kennedy still performs at the same level as the past presidents. He proves to his audience by saying that, “For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago” (“President Kennedy”). Hard work, loyalty, labor, and meticulousness will definitely bring many positive effects to the country.
John F. Kennedy uses an antimetabole in his inaugural address to bring nationalism to the heart’s of the American citizens, and bring closure to the end of his speech. In his speech, Kennedy says, “ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country” (Kennedy 2). An antimetabole is when words are repeated, but in different orders. Kennedy using an antimetabole helps to rally the people under one common goal, helping the country. The word choice allows him to tell the people what not to do. By doing this Kennedy is able to promote nationalism by bringing disdain to those that are not helping the country and pushing them to change that. Kennedy’s wording makes all listeners believe in themselves and emphasizes that
On January 20th, 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy gave a speech to the nation, which encompassed a new vision for the country with a new generation. That speech was JFK’s Inaugural Address. As the new 35th president, JFK was the youngest president to enter the oval office at the age of forty-three ("Inaugural Address."). The nation was still in in the process of healing after World War II. In the eyes of the masses, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a breath of fresh air for the American People. He was a youthful president, with his youthful image; he was able to rally the younger generations with a progressive vision. This speech was a message to the nation in which JFK outlines a new direction for The United States by securing it’s freedom, being a competitive nation in all aspects, and rallying the citizens behind the government.
Hence, through various rhetorical strategies, Kennedy achieves his purpose of gaining the spectators’ favor through stressing major current events that concerned the American people. These significant concepts include American patriotism and American diplomacy, stressed when he begins four consequent paragraphs with the same recurring three words, “Let both sides.” Kennedy’s brilliant use of pathos, parallelism, antithesis, and varied syntax successfully convey his ambitions and hopes for America, as it makes Kennedy’s speech a very memorable one in history.
President John F. Kennedy brings about a new way of thinking in his inaugural speech. He brings in a sense of selflessness and relentlessness for the country. He uses literary devices such as, antithesis, repetition, and rhetorical questions to bring about that sense in the audience. He begins by putting himself to the people and allowing the audience to feel welcomed. The use of literary devices in his speech allows the audience to recognize his goal, which is moving forward and bringing change to the country.
Words such as these throughout the speech as well as the famous line: “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” clearly indicate Kennedy’s message to the American people, which is for every citizen to fight against oppression and promote freedom whenever possible. This message proves to become a prevailing theme throughout the 1960’s, leading to dramatic and progressive eve...