In a time where sacrifices were asked of the American people by John F. Kennedy, greedy steel tycoons decided to raise the prices of their goods for personal gain. In response to this, Kennedy composed a passage in which he uses a condescending tone, antithesis, and personification to attempt to convince the steel companies to lower their prices. Kennedy speaks to the steel moguls in a condescending manner in an effort to appeal to their humanity. He uses phrases such as “a few gigantic corporations have decided to increase their prices in a ruthless disregard of…responsibilities” to reprimand the tycoons and to show that they are shirking their responsibility as Americans to promote the greater good. He uses words such as “gigantic” and “ruthless” to portray the companies in a tyrannical light, emphasizing that they are abominations that only care for themselves. He does this to attempt to admonish the companies and show them the error of their ways in an effort to appeal to their humanity. Kennedy also states that these …show more content…
tycoons show “utter contempt for the interests of 185 million Americans” to again emphasize that the companies are avaricious and do not care to assist their fellow citizens, and to once again appeal to their humanity. Kennedy uses antithesis to show the opposing deeds and virtues of the average American and the steel moguls.
He states “I asked each American to consider what he would do for his country and I asked the steel companies. In the last 24 hours we had their answer” to show the differences between the actions of the people and those of the steel companies. During this period, most Americans gave up many of their comforts and requests for raises in order to support the economy and the greater good of all. However, the steel companies acquisitively raised their prices in an effort to gain more money; completely ignoring the needs of fellow Americans. Kennedy’s contrast of these actions again serves to appeal to the humanity of the steel tycoons, by demonstrating the beneficial effects Americans are having on the economy and the differing, adverse effects of the steel companies, in order to convince them to change their ways and help their fellow
man. Kennedy also utilizes personification to show a detrimental side effect of the steel industry’s greed. He testifies that “it would seriously handicap our efforts to prevent an inflationary spiral from eating up the pensions of our older citizens…” By employing the term “eating up,” he illustrates the steel companies as ravenous and monstrous, attacking the oldest of American citizens. Kennedy exhibits this image in an effort to convince other Americans to stand up and fight against the injustice these companies are committing in order to benefit all, but especially the senior citizens. Kennedy attempts to portray the steel companies in a greedy, voracious light in order to appeal to the companies’ humanity and to call to arms his fellow Americans to fight this inequity. The literary elements he used support his rhetoric by emphasizing the imagery of the steel tycoons he attempted to create. Had Kennedy not utilized these tools, his message may not have been persuasive enough to accomplish his established goal.
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
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.
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
Overall, 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 a recession. This isn’t the first time big business and the rich have taken advantage of the economic situation to gain personal profit and power. Even today, there is plenty of corruption in businesses which needs to be kept in
“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.
middle of paper ... ... Interchanging between the short sentences and the lengthy sentences grabs the audience’s full attention, permitting Kennedy to persuade them that he qualifies for his position as U.S. President. Hence, through various rhetorical strategies, Kennedy achieves his purpose of gaining the spectators’ favor by stressing major current events that concern the American people. These significant concepts include American patriotism and American diplomacy, stressed when he begins four subsequent paragraphs with the same recurring three words, “Let both sides.”
wealthy manufacturer.” (59) According to the text, “Kennedy was no stranger to plantation life, having
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.
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).
John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address is a puissant speech that conveys a mighty theme. The steady use of fervent dialect stimulates in the crowd a sense of esteem and obligation, which makes the speech even more impressive. The structure of the diction enhances the ability for all people of the audience to connect. Beginning with an intimate remark and closing with a broad regard, marks the address as both authentic and propelling. Nevertheless, what is most effective is Kennedy’s skill to access the atmosphere of the crowd and examine the circumstances of the juncture that is primarily the cause for the prosperity of this distinguished
Kennedy uses refrences from past events in history to emphasize his point of taking a risk and trying something new, and inspiring his audience. An event from 1630 is used in JFK’s speech as an allusion to make the reader feel a sense of , “William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage” (Kennedy 2). He is proving that after all the hard work, it is succesful and worth it. William Bradford created a colony by the devotion and hard work. Kennedy is relating himself and the country to Bradford, showing the audience that it is possible. Using an example from history makes the audience more committed to landing on the moon when they think the probability for success is high. It gives off the encouraging thought of, “if they did it, we can do it”, which is exactly what JFK was trying to succeed. Kennedy also uses an allusion to exaggerate to sudden change in tecchnology and show how advanced this country...
At the end of the speech Kennedy moves to the problem-focused coping element and tells the audience how they can honor the great and late Robert Frost. Keened urges society to “set the artist[s] free to follow [their] vision wherever it takes [them],” because what they create “nourish[es] the roots of our culture,” (lines 47-48). Kennedy desires that the country “never forget that art is not a form of propaganda” instead “it is a form of truth,” (lines 49). Frost was a unique artist whose vision was able to affect the world and Kennedy wants to make sure that future artist have a society that is willing to support their vision. Kennedy then makes an appeal to the artiest, he wants them to “remain true to himself and let the chips fall where they may,” (lines 55-56). If society is going to support future artist then these artist need to be true to themselves so they can make an impact on society. Kennedy does not establish any credibility in his speech, because he did not have much of a pervious relationship with Frost. The two had only met a couple of times when Frost was speaking at Kennedy’s
In his Inaugural Address he said, that he would bear any burden, pay any price, and the hardship, to oppose any foe and success of liberty(Kennedy.5). This meant that he was to do as much as he possibly could to ensure and spread freedom around the world. Because European countries wanted a communist country which was to have all of your property owned not by you but everyone. Since there was no freedom or constitution Kennedy’s wasn’t going to approve of this idea. President Kennedy also stated, “...those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.” (Kennedy.8). He stated something very powerful with how the Nuclear attacks were occurring then that he said, that people who want power and use force will be destroyed before he can control
Sacrifice. This word explains the main point of the writing done by Dr. Martin Luther King and another text by John F Kennedy. Both of these men explain the sacrifices people had to make, but they both did this in very different ways. This essay will help the reader to get a better understanding of the sacrifices people had to make, and also to show how each of the national leaders portrayed this theme differently.
Reutter, Mark. Sparrows Point: Making Steel : the Rise and Ruin of American Industrial Might. New York: Summit Books, 1988. Print.