Jfk Inaugural Address Rhetorical Analysis

Aaron Laing
Mrs. Rhine
English 101 Period 1
Aug 30 2016
Inexperienced or Innovative
"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" (Kennedy 3). On January 20, 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy presented his inaugural address shortly after taking the oath of office, becoming the thirty-fifth President of the United States. In this historic address, President Kennedy astonishes the audience through his captivating use of rhetoric that he utilized in order to convey a sense of unity, as well as to recap the events that had occurred thus far during the Cold War. Throughout the speech, Kennedy’s purpose was to assure the American public of his competence and aptitude as the

new leader of the United States. Nearly forty-five years later, Thurston Clarke wrote an opinion editorial in which he analyzes the methods and statements that Kennedy utilized in his address.

Clarke also scrutinizes the preparations that Kennedy took before presenting the speech, and he also considers how this speech would impact future presidents. When analyzing President Kennedy's speech as well as Thurston Clarke's editorial, the reader can see many similarities in the rhetorical devices the authors used to achieve their respective purposes. In not only JFK's inaugural address, but in Clarke's editorial as well, the authors present their work utilizing rhetorical devices such as juxtaposition, parallel structure, and appeals to emotion.
One of the pillars of rhetoric that is employed within both Kennedy's address and Clarke's editorial is juxtaposition. Throughout President Kennedy's address, he utilizes juxtaposition in various ways with the singular goal of achieving unity. Unity was a vision of Kennedy's to not only decrease the animosity between the Republican and Democratic Parties, but to convey the openness to a resolution without conflict. The following emphasizes President Kennedy's message of unity that he attempted to convey through juxtaposition: "United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do -- for we dare not meet

a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder" (Kennedy 1). However, a valid argument is that this statement was a glittering generality, because Kennedy had yet to formally make decisions as Commander in Chief. Nevertheless, Kennedy utilizes the stark contrast entailed by his juxtaposition to persuade the audience that without unity, the only result of the war is failure. Without the cooperation between the two parties that is of utmost importance to the war effort, the United States will surely lose the conflict known as the Cold War. Kennedy not only uses juxtaposition in this sentence to persuade the audience; additionally, he uses specific syntax in order to make the contrast more evident. Through the identical structure of the sentences, the message of opposing sides becomes clearer with the respective outcomes of each scenario. The juxtaposing ideas found in this quote help President Kennedy's purpose by showing that despite being a democrat, his desire for unity amongst the people of the United States outweighs other goals. By providing the ideals that America was founded upon, Kennedy shows his roots in political competence that may convince the audience of his own aptitude as President. Kennedy believes that through a country unified under a just cause, rooted in ideals, America can become an unstoppable force that will win the Cold War. Similarly to President Kennedy’s speech, Thurston Clarke employs the use of juxtaposition to assist in the persuasion of his audience. Examples of Clarke's use of juxtaposition, such as ""Kennedy had won the 1960 election with only 49.7 percent of the popular vote, yet a Gallup poll taken soon after his inauguration showed him with an approval rating of 72 percent" (Clarke), utilize appeals to logic. An argument against this statistic would be that the initial disapproval of Kennedy would show the lack of desire for this president, causing questions of why he was elected. However, when polled again after Kennedy's riveting speech, the American people established themselves as very supporting of President Kennedy. Only fifty percent of voters wanted JFK to be president; however, Clarke emphasizes through statistical evidence that President Kennedy united the nation to a significantly higher degree through his charismatic nature.
In addition to their usage of juxtaposition, both President Kennedy and Clarke employ parallel structure as another means of persuasion.

President Kennedy uses parallel structure as one of the central rhetorical devices used in his address, such as "[…] we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe…" (Kennedy 1). This uses parallel structure by showing the various ways that the country will persist against the communist enemy, by providing several adversities. The mere list of adversities was thought of by the opposition to not be enough to prove Kennedy capable. Nevertheless, by repeating actions that will be used in order to withstand any opposing force, President Kennedy displayed his confidence in the United States as the most powerful nation in the world, which he would lead without faltering. This assurance was necessary during this time period, where the United States and Soviet Union were engaged in the Cold War. If an ally is attacked or provoked by the Soviet Union, the United States needed to show its dominance through action; therefore, these words of reinforcement were necessary to buttress this stance. This aids Kennedy in his purpose of showing his competence by verbally securing his position as the most powerful man in the world. Additionally, Clarke benefits from his use of parallel structure in the following: "[…] or that he had received months of tutoring from a speech coach, or that there was so much

animosity among the platform's dignitaries that if grudges had weight, the entire contraption would have collapsed"(Clarke 1).