Jfk Inaugural Address Rhetorical Analysis

787 Words2 Pages

On April 11, 1962, John F. Kennedy held a news conference in which he discussed the hike in steel prices despite the fact that he repeatedly called for stable prices and wages as part of the program of national sacrifice due to it being a period of economic distress. After analyzing Kennedy’s remarks diligently, it is evident that he used the rhetorical strategies of syntax, language, and details to develop and strengthen his purpose throughout his speech. To begin, one of the many ways Kennedy promotes his argument is through his unique sentence structure. Throughout the speech, Kennedy will use numerous commas and semicolons to emphasize his claim. An example of this is in the second paragraph which states, “when we are confronted with …show more content…

As Kennedy professes his claim, it is incontestable that he uses the strategy known as two v. one throughout his address to single out the steel companies and to prove to the people that he is on their side. He does this by using specific phrasing and stating comments that would convince the U.S. citizens that he is genuinely upset that the steel corporations ignored his request to sacrifice at this time of need. This type of strategy is shown in the speech when it states “at a time when they could be exploring how more efficiency and better prices could be obtained… a few gigantic corporations have decided to increase prices in ruthless disregard of their public responsibilities.” As you can see, by stating the beneficial things the steel industries could have been doing at this time of sacrifice first and then the negative actions they did instead, it is conclusive that he is purposely singling out the industrial giants of the steel industries to emphasize his purpose that now is not the time to increase prices but to lessen up and help the American economy. Overall, by using the rhetorical strategy known as two v. one Kennedy was able to efficiently develop his purpose through the

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy's Steel Corporations Fordy

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the final paragraph, President Kennedy connects everything together to reach the conclusion. He creates a judgemental and disappointed tone when discussing what “a few gigantic corporations have decided to” do rather than what “they could” do. He once again paints this narrative that steel companies don’t act out of public interest, and that the the audience must force them to. The “Steel Workers Union”, “Department of Justice”, “Federal Trade Commission”, and “the Department of Defense” can “be proud” of what they are doing, however, it is not enough. This is key in Kennedy’s speech, because it is the final reason why the public needs to retaliate against the recent greedy actions of steel corporations.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Kennedy's Speech

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    He used a very selective vocabulary, purposely using emotionally charged words such as: “wholly unjustifiable and irresponsible defiance” (lines 4-5), “ruthless disregard” (line 82), and “restraint and sacrifice” (lines 14-15). By using words with strong connotation, he powers the emotions of his audience once again directing support for himself and appearing as the calm figurehead amongst the emotional chaos. He also makes his speech very personal by mentioning individual American families, literally using the phrase “every American family” (line 25). He appeals to the strong sense of patriotism in the American public by mentioning the four servicemen who died in Vietnam. Despite the fact that they are almost completely unrelated to the rise in steel prices and, if they were alive, would be unaffected by the rise in price, either. And yet, Kennedy mentions the servicemen to make the situation appear that much more dire. By mentioning the tragic deaths of these men, Kennedy aims to trigger a strong emotional response in his audience that would turn into support for

    Read More

  • Analysis Of John F Kennedy Speech On Steel

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    In paragraph two he states ”when we are confronted with grave crisis in Berlin and Southeast Asia, when we are devoting our energies to economic recovery and stability, when we are asking reservists to leave their homes and families for months on end…” President Kennedy starts each of his statements with “when we are” to address the sacrifices the people are making while the steel companies prioritizes in this dark hour, which shows they don’t care about their nation. He then shows us how this would be worsened even further if the steel companies maintained the high prices. Kennedy also states “It would make it more difficult for American goods to compete in foreign markets, more difficult to withstand competition from foreign imports, and thus more difficult to improve our balance of payments position…” He then repeatedly starts off with the phrase “more difficult.” This repetition, incorporated with facts, proves his point that the steel companies were unpatriotic and greedy because he shows how much trouble and difficulty the rise in steel companies would cause. Besides using the strategy of repeating words and phrases, Kennedy also uses statistics to achieve his argument.

    Read More

  • What Is The Logos In John F Kennedy's Speech

    434 Words  | 1 Pages

    Kennedy, in his speech appeals mostly to logos by using hards facts and statistics. For example, in line 20 he explains how the inflation of steel is affecting “185 million Americans”. He continues using logos throughout his speech when he introduces Sect of Defense McNamara and tells the American people the steel inflation would an “estimated one billion dollars to cost of defenses, at a time when every dollar is needed for national security”. However, this is also an

    Read More

  • Kennedy's Ethos Pathos Logos

    588 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the early 1960’s, the United States was emerging from a recession. Many people were struggling, but some big businesses were taking advantage of the economic distress. On April 11th, 1962, President John F. Kennedy held a news conference to talk about such big businesses, namely, steel companies. President Kennedy criticized these companies for increasing the price of steel by 3.5 percent. By appealing compellingly to logos, effectively to pathos, and rivetingly to ethos, President John F. Kennedy argues that the price increase of steel during the hard times by large companies has been a blatant disregard for their public responsibilities during an emerging recession.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of John F Kennedy's Inaugural Address

    993 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's Inaugural Address

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of Speech John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Speech

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy's Speech

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin, Kennedy gave the exigence and explained what the current situation was in America. He gives his thesis to let the audience know what his feelings are, and what the main point of the speech is going to be. The first sentence discusses the steel companies raising their prices which, “constitutes a wholly unjustifiable and irresponsible defiance of the public interest” (2-3). This sentence sets up the rest of the speech and what can be expected to follow. After giving the exigence and thesis, Kennedy expands on the issue in the paragraphs that proceed. His ideas flow right from one to the next. Beginning with the issues in America, the steel companies raised prices, national security, and finally how it affects Americans.

    Read More

  • First Inaugural Address Rhetorical Analysis

    1634 Words  | 4 Pages

    There have been many historical events in history that have impacted America in many ways. For example, famous Speeches given by important people such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the united states which his main goal was to help America recover from the severe economic issues during the 1930’s. Roosevelt used rhetorical devices to persuade desperate Americans, wounded from the Great Depression, by introducing a plan which it will be the best way to recover from the severe crisis that affected Americans. In Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, he used personification, diction, and antimetabole to convey his conflicting feelings about the New Deal, in order to face the economic issues

    Read More

  • Parallelism In John F Kennedy Speech

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Strategies in John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kennedy’s brilliant use of pathos, parallelism, antithesis, and varied syntax successfully conveys his ambitions and hopes for America, as it makes Kennedy’s speech a very memorable one in history.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of JFK's Inauguration Speech

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy's Cold War

    1424 Words  | 3 Pages

    John F. Kennedy’s central argument in his inaugural speech is that America needs to act. During this time the Cold War was occurring, causing both America and the Soviet Union to compete in an arms race to see who could make the most nuclear weapons. Kennedy states that America needs to fight for freedom while also negotiating peace with communist countries, especially the Soviet Union. Kennedy does not want a nuclear war to occur, so he wants peace before another world war happens. Kennedy also talks about helping the poor people in other countries.

    Read More

  • John F Kennedy New Frontier Essay

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    In focusing on the National economy and ending the recession, Kennedy accomplished a meek increase to the minimum wages for workers, during his presidency. But, he lost the confidence of business leaders in 1962, by seeking to rollback what the administration regarded as excessive price increases within the steel trade. Although, he succeeded in his direct objective, this did not come without a price. President Kennedy ultimately, alienated an important source of support by later calling for a large tax cut to grant capital to large corporations, meant for stimulating the economy (Hoagland, 2008).

    Read More

More about Jfk Inaugural Address Rhetorical Analysis

Open Document