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J f kennedy inaugural speech analysis
John f kennedy inaugural address analysis
What is john f kennedy inaugural speech about
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JFK: The Man, The Myth, The Legend John F. Kennedy delivered an inaugural speech that can be described as the most famous inaugural speech that any president has ever given. Following a close presidential race, Kennedy uses this speech as a celebration of victory and unite his audience. During this cold and snowy day, Kennedy stepped to the podium, but he wasn't wearing a coat and tie. Standing in the bright winter light, he stood out against the backdrop of politicians and family. President Kennedy delivered some words of wisdom that have not been forgotten and have been nominated as one of the most inspiring speeches a president has ever given. From examining the physical breakdown, the deeper meaning, and the delivery of the speech, …show more content…
President Kennedy proved that he was a president of all people and could handle the task at hand. President Kennedy does well presenting a speech that united all aspects of the nation. He opens with "We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom." (Rott). This shows no party favoring and helps bring all Americans together. Using this opening, Kennedy establishes a respect from all which he needed to help open his presidency. This also helps his keep within his party. Kennedy was a democrat and needed to unite all people being that democrats are open to all people. He uses strong appeals to his ethics along with the whole country's ethics. In this inaugural address, Kennedy joins Americans as one country and humans, together as one population with a call-up that relies on a hard appeal to the ethics and morals of himself and the people. In the physical breakdown of his speech, Kennedy uses a lot of devices that help the reader understand the speech as long with making it more appealing.
He uses a large amount of antithesis, and one of the most famous lines of this address is antithesis. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" is a good example of antithesis in this speech, but there are multiples throughout (Atkinson). Using antithesis in uniting the country is catchy and people remembered it. Kennedy also uses a hearty amount of alliteration throughout his speech. Using alliteration creates catchy phrases and sentences that people remember. A good example of alliteration that is used is the phrase "Let us go forth to lead the land we love."(Atkinson). This phrase can be easily remembered and flows well in a speech. Kennedy also uses juxtaposition when he says, “peaceful revolution,” and this adds gusto to the speech because of the contradiction of the two powerful …show more content…
words. As impressive as the rhetoric and imagery may have been, what really made the speech memorable was that it was the first address by a US president to follow the newly introduced first rule of speech-preparation: analyze your audience - or, to be more precise at a time when mass access to television was in its early stages, analyze your audiences.
With the use of television, radio, and this new speech construction, Kennedy effectively covered all the bases of the American lifestyle. He put his time in organizing the speech and it was worth it. The fact that so much of the speech is still remembered and discussed around the world 50 years after is an indicator of Kennedy's success in knowing exactly what he wanted to say to who, how to deliver it, and most important, to who he should say it
to. Kennedy gave this speech coming off a super close election, that was somewhat controversial. His challenger was Richard Nixon, who was a republican and very firm. Kennedy was a democrat and could be quite the smooth talker. He carried very calm body language and never seemed to get upset. No matter the topic, throughout the campaign and his presidency, he never appeared upset, even if times were hard. Even the day following the speech, there was nothing written in the major papers that described weaknesses in his speaking ability. He genuinely was a good speaker who did not get easily flustered which helped in his success. President Kennedy will forever be known as an influential president. He was strong staring in the face of adversity and was willing to take on whatever was presented in front of him. Coming off a tight election race, he proved to the American people that he was ready to be president. Kennedy proved so by speaking in his inaugural address so effectively so that he could unite all people. Through further research and analysis, President Kennedy effectively demonstrated that he could and was ready to be the president of all people and was able and willing to take on anything.
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.
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
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.
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.
Although both Mark Antony’s and Robert F. Kennedy’s speeches were successful largely due to the strength of their arguments, their careful choice and placement of their words and sentences is also an important factor in the delivery of their messages. The clever use of stylistic devices and techniques of both Antony and Kennedy’s speeches is a testimony to their much admired speaking styles. The use of repetition, caesuras, and personal references augment their speeches so that it is concise, purposeful, memorable and emotionally engaging. The influential nature of both Mark Antony and Robert F. Kennedy is in part due to their high level of skill in speech-making, a rewarding skill to have in any language, and an important asset required for any leader.
In these lines, he showed emotion when asking the world to spread freedom, justice, and to get rid of all the evils in the world. Also in his address, Kennedy asks Americans to stand up to the “long twilight struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war.” As a promoter of world peace, President Kennedy clearly stated that the Soviet Union and the United States were wasting time and money. Following his swearing in, he used allusion in his speech as he stated, “For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.” Kennedy implies to the countrys independence as an effort to create a great reputation for himself.
John F Kennedy delivered one of the best speeches on January 20, 1961.His inauguration speech was very powerful and it gathered the attention of every single person in the nation. It uses a strong appeal to pathos, ethos and logos. Kennedy was the youngest president to be in office. He got his degree from Harvard and later on joined the navy. He wrote “ profiles in courage” which has received one of the most recognized awards, the Pulitzer Prize. This speech had a lot of positive sides to it, but one of the most important things was that it gave him a good look from the outside. The inaugural address was written to let the citizens of America know that they could change this country for the better. It assured all voters
The president’s inaugural address allows the president to lay out his plans and intentions to excite and motivate people across the country. Since the main reason for 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 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.
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.
"Historic Speeches." John F. Kennedy. Presidential Library and Museum, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. .
John F. Kennedy’s speech was revered then and it is revered now. He talks on peace and freedom will never be forgotten. JFK arrived when America was going through a rough patch and delivered a speech for the ages. His line “…My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” still applies even today. Even though John F. Kennedy’s live was tragically cut short in 1963, his speech on freedom and peace will always be remembered and it carries on with JFK’s legacy.
It is 11 June, 1963, and the Alabama National Guardsmen are called to the University of Alabama to ensure the safe admission of two black students. That same afternoon, John F. Kennedy addresses the nation in an attempt to sooth flared tempers on both sides of the debate. Despite the limited time for preparation, “… it was one of his best speeches–a heartfelt appeal in behalf of a moral cause that included several memorable lines calling upon the country to honor its finest traditions” (Dallek). Indeed, part of this heartfelt spirit is likely derived from the relative spontaneity of the speech. Nevertheless, Kennedy is well-recognized as skilled in his use of language (Renehan), and purposefully employs several methods to create his appeals.