More handpicked essays just for you.
President speeches rhetorical analysis
President speeches rhetorical analysis
Lyndon b johnson and the vietnam war
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Throughout history many important people have spoken about their beliefs and values, and much of what they’ve shared with us has become so important to our lives today. The words they spoke, have become the words we’ve read and these words continue to inspire us on a daily basis. Not only do these words add determination into our lives, they help us become better people as well. Jimmy Valvano’s Espy Awards Speech, JFK’s Inaugural Address, MLK’s I Have a Dream Speech, President Obama’s Inaugural Address and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address all have become iconic speeches in the history of the United States. Overall, the speeches are still so important today because of the emotion and compassion that was brought forth by the rhetorical strategies. …show more content…
Kennedy’s Inaugural Address is one of the most memorable speeches of the past 100 years. The way he interpreted his thoughts by using rhetorical devices and techniques has touched many people and become a template for future speakers. JFK used the rhetorical strategy of ethos when he said "...The command of Isaiah- to 'undo the heavy burdens and let the oppressed go free’” (John F. Kennedy P3). This is ethos because he was very credible, he was the president of the United States. The fact that it is written in the Holy Bible means that it must be true and Kennedy was Roman Catholic which would make him twice as credible, and correct. In addition, he also used asyndeton when he said, "...we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty" (John F. Kennedy P1). Back in time, the U.S. was facing many difficulties and people trusted President Kennedy to lead them out. Kennedy’s bold statement let other countries know that the United States and the people within have a great sense of pride toward their home. Not to mention, they would have done anything to preserve their freedom. JFK also used antithesis when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” as well as “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But never let us fear to negotiate” (John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address P3-4). The way he used asyndeton was to make the listeners think …show more content…
His accomplishments for the betterment of our country continue to be a part of our daily lives. On November 19th, 1863, President Lincoln gave The Gettysburg Address. He used rhetorical devices and strategies during this speech to bring out the emotions of the people who were present. The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War and Lincoln gave this speech as a dedication to the soldiers who passed away. When Lincoln said, “but in a larger sense, we can not dedicate- we can not consecrate- we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men who struggled here have consecrated our poor power to add or detract” (Lincoln P1). This is evidently pathos because it evoked emotion and made people feel like they needed to fight for the men's sacrifices, for the sake of the United States. Likewise, another rhetorical strategy he used was author’s purpose. Lincoln had many reasons for asking to speak at Gettysburg. He not only wanted to remember those who had died in the battle of Gettysburg, but to also change the opinions of the remaining soldiers. He succeeded. Within his speech, Lincoln hoped to change the purpose of the Civil War. He stated, "be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought have thus far so nobly advanced." (Lincoln P1). Instead of the soldiers trying to fight for the “unfinished work” of those before them, he wanted the people to fight for their
The Gettysburg Address given by President Lincoln in the November following the Battle of Gettysburg acted as a call to arms. This speech gave the North a sense of pride and reassured them that they did have a chance at winning the Civil War. In The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln tells the audience not to let the men who died in the battle die in vain he tells them that their dedication will lead to a “new birth of freedom” in the nation(document D). This newly found sense of pride and hope led confidence which was something that the Confederate army was lacking at the
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.
John F Kennedy delivered one of the finest speeches on January 20, 1961 after being sworn into office. His inauguration speech was so powerful that it captured the entire nations attention, and quotes from it are still remembered by people today. It is one of the finest speeches ever written. It provides a strong appeal to pathos, ethos and logos, and it is because of this that people who never heard the speech can quote lines from it.
1962 in America brought the emergence from a recession. During this time of economic worries in America, steel companies raised their prices of steel despite the President stressing how important stable prices and wages were. This brought out a powerful response from President John F. Kennedy, which resulted in him making a speech. He gave this speech to the nation on April 11, 1962, making his feelings heard loud and clear. Kennedy used this speech to raise anger in Americans by showing how the steel companies were only trying to help themselves. He also used this as a platform to make the steel companies feel guilty for their actions and urge them to stop, and to lower the prices. Kennedy uses the three appeals, strong diction and syntax,
His speech contained persuasive appeals such as logos and pathos. Kennedy says “This peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers...our neighbors know we shall join with them to oppose aggression anywhere…let every power know this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.” This strong quote corresponds with pathos, it pertains to the emotion of hope and courage that the U.S. needs to maintain its high ranking status among other countries. This shows that he wants us to be ready for anything
John Fitzgerald Kennedy delivered one of the most important American speeches after being sworn in as president on January 20, 1961. His inauguration speech was so influential that it seized the nation’s attention, and quotes from it are still clearly remembered by people today. It is considered one of the best speeches ever written and ever delivered. It presents a strong appeal to pathos, ethos, and logos and accomplishes what any speaker strives for – it speaks straight to the heart of the audience and inspires people.
He does this for the reason that he wants to reiterate that American virtues are at the foundations of the people and not the government. Furthermore he creates his earnest tone through parallelism, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” This is earnest on the grounds that he not only shows what they need to do, but shows them what they have been doing wrong. His tone was also contemplative in the fact that Kennedy reflects on the issue of nuclear war and the consequences that it entails. The mention of a nuclear crisis intentionally unites everyone, both Republicans and Democrats, in a common goal to defeat a tangible enemy.
By turning the Civil War into a war about slavery he effortlessly ensured that no foreign country would recognize the South as an independent nation, ensuring Union success in the war. In his speech, Lincoln used the rhetorical devices of juxtaposition, repetition, and parallelism, to touch the hearts of its listeners. Lincoln had numerous purposes for the Gettysburg Address. Firstly, it was to be used to dedicate the land where the Battle of Gettysburg had taken place as a cemetery for the fallen troops of both the North and the South, the most apparent and central reason for his address. His second purpose for the address was to transform the war on states’ rights into a war on slavery and upholding the ideals that the Founders had authored in the Declaration of Independence.
Since the main reason of his sermon is to inspire rather than educate, Kennedy rarely uses any logical pleads. Yet, Kennedy adequately uses passionate dialect to make the people sense their involvement in what all the President says. Kennedy composes the assignment to bring back tranquility and good-wealth as not only his aim, but of the public as well. 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. 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 patriarch republic that possesses greater philanthropy of all the other nations around the world. Even though much of the address is fervent in tone, Kennedy devotes a large section of his topic to outline his ethos to all inhabitants of the world. JFK introduced the use of ethos at the inception of his address. Kennedy was very young when he came into office, but he was still obliged to act at the same status as former presidents. Attentive to this condition, Kennedy
... Americans are so happy in this country. Freedom is was what this country was founded on and he wanted to spread it to the world. Ethos is quite simple in his speech. John F. Kennedy is obviously a smart, brilliant man that became president. He wouldn’t be where he was if he wasn’t those things, there American people would not have elected him to office.
The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history. The History Place indicates that on November 19, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln went to a battle field positioned in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where three dreadful days of battle occurred called the Battle of Gettysburg. While he was attending the battle field to dedicate it as a national cemetery, he read his speech to the public. After the main orator, Edward Everett of Massachusetts, delivered his speech that lasted about two hours, it was Lincoln’s turn. Everyone was shocked that it only lasted a little over two minutes. The speech talked about the men who fought in the Civil War to help create the nation people have today: that it is only fair to honor them with a portion of the field to lay them to rest. However the condition of the land is when each man is laid to rest should be the last it is messed with. Everything is already taken care of and should not be changed or improved. Some people will not always remember the moment in history, but no one will forget what happened. In his speech, Lincoln used the emotional, ethical, and logical appeals. This helped him get his point of the two arguments across to the people and helped the people understand what he was saying.
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered ‘’The Gettysburg Address’’. Abraham Lincoln’s purpose in ‘’The Gettysburg Address’’ was to persuade listeners to finish what those who fought for died for by treating everyone else equally. ‘’The Gettysburg Address’’ is the most compelling speech due to its use of rhetorical
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.
In his prominent 1961 Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy extensively employs pathos, parallelism, antithesis, and varied syntax to captivate millions of people, particularly to persuade them to stand together and attempt to further human rights for the “betterment” of the world. Kennedy’s effective use of various rhetorical styles succeeds in persuading his audience –the world and the U.S citizens—that his newly-seized position as the U.S. President will be worthwhile for all.