On a bitter cold, snow-laden, 1961 January morning, twenty thousand people waited in front of Capital Hill to listen to John F Kennedy’s (JFK) inaugural address. Besides that, his audience included eighty million Americans viewing it on televisions, and about three billion listening over the radio. JFK was elected during a time period in which the United States seemed to be at its peak. The mood from the 1950’s was that of an affluent society, a capitalistic golden age where there was a classless middle class, a rise in white-collar job, and very high paying unionized blue-collar jobs. However, there were also underlying inequalities, like the race divisions in the south, and a great fear of confrontation with communistic countries. Additionally, JFK’s predecessor created an inactive government of insufficient action and only went so far as to placate problems but not solve them. JFK needed to convince the country to change. His purpose was to challenge to young generation to get involved and contribute to society, …show more content…
mostly through public service. John F Kennedy’s Inaugural Address inspired his country with the use of rhetorical strategies and rhetorical appeals. To persuade his audience, JFK used all three rhetorical appeals. He immediately starts with Ethos with his introduction, “Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, reverend clergy, fellow citizens, we observe today not a victory or party, but a celebration of freedom, symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning, signifying renewal, as well as change.” JFK addresses, in this quote, that he does not want his election to only be a triumph for the Democratic Party but for the American people as a whole. He wants to establish himself as a president who values unity over prejudice. He also shows his respect to the Republican Party to signify that he can work with the Republican Party. Ensuing, JFK again uses ethos to prove that he is a strong leader when he says, “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger, I don’t not shrink from this responsibility, I welcome it.” Kennedy is up to the challenge of leading the US through difficult times, and wants the country to have faith in him. Lastly, JFK refers to God as a way to gain credibility, “With a good conscience our only sure reward, […] let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.” During that time period, 84% of the world’s population believed in God. Through the use of Ethos, Kennedy establishes himself as an unselfish leader who believes in the Lord. In addition to ethos, JFK uses logos. His most famous quote, “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” inspires the American public to get involved in the foreign diplomacy and civil rights acts, displaying an understanding and respect for the limitations of the executive and legislative branches. The well-known fact that the U.S. government works slowly creates an understanding between the President and the people, in that to get JFK’s agenda accomplished the people need to take a stand. Lastly JFK establishes pathos by appealing to America’s patriotic side. This was essential to success especially during the Cold War, a period when a patriotic spirit was expected. He compares his audience to their predecessors and correlates the two, “born in this century, tempered by war, disciplines by a hard and bitter peace, proud of out ancient heritage”. He refers to this generation’s dedication to the survival of the core American value of liberty. There are two main messages, or purposes in his speech: the first was to prove that he would be suitable for the job of presidency, even though he was the youngest and first Catholic president. The second message was to create a bolder vision for America foreign policy. This vision would raise the stakes of the cold war, and would foreshadow decades of diplomatic, economic, and military action to support and defend freedom around the world. Although it wasn’t the shortest inaugural addresses, JFK’s was shorter than most, the final length being 1,355 words. In addition, like Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, JFK’s was comprised of short phrases and words. In preparing for this speech, JFK worked with his close advisor Ted Sorenson editing and re-editing it until it was to Kennedy’s liking.
He also assigned Sorenson the task to studying other inaugural speeches, like Thomas Jefferson’s, and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to find the secrets of successful speeches and addresses. Resources and constraints: Audience was a resource and constraint. Kennedy consciously spoke not only to Americans but also to the people around the world as a globe. Because of this, and the want for peace, he had to be very careful about what he said so as not upset the communistic counterparts. His audience was a resource though in the fact that the entire world got to hear it. Ultimately, from the materials that JFK used, his medium, his rhetorical appeals, his resources and constraints, and his language, it can be concluded that John F Kennedy’s inaugural address was a fitting response to the public during that
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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.
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.
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.
President John F Kennedy had many great examples of vivid and specific language in his inaugural speech. One example of John F Kennedy exhorting vivid language is when he stated “Support any friend, appall any foe, to isure the survival and the success of liberty.” The second example of vivid language the John F Kennedy used during his speech is when he stated “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” This example used a double wording which allows for it to stay deep into the memory of the listener and therefore improve the speeches longevity. I believe that the use of vivid and specific language is to help resonate with the audience.
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.
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.
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.
One of the most memorable inaugural speeches in American history was delivered by President John F. Kennedy on January 20th, 1961. Throughout his speech Kennedy uses the “plain folks” technique, with the use of words like,“we”,”our”, and “us”, to convince his audience that he was simply an ordinary man of the people. More specifically he addressed the issues facing Americans regarding tensions between the United States and The Soviet Union, and his hopes of managing internationa...
John F. Kennedy was elected president on November 8, 1960. This was a particularly rough time in the world. The United states along with several nations were being threatened by poverty, tyranny, disease, communism, and war and weapons. During this time John F. Kennedy, our 35th elected president, gave one of the top four historical speeches of all time. The use of ethos, pathos, and logos where fair and showed how knowledgeable he was about his topic, and makes a clear claim about his topic that the people of The United states and its fellow nations needed to step up to make this world a better place. His intention was to show despite he was the youngest president ever elected, he would be a great leader, and that he will bring change as long as the people were there to help. He wanted to exhort the American people and the world that there is hope.
By delivering his inaugural speech, President Kennedy mentioned not only the American people, but also people from over the world including new states, old allies, and the Soviet Union. He also sought to inspire the nation after a long, divided election; to alleviate the growing fearful of drawn-out cold war, and to bless the hope for peace in the nuclear age. By using the extensive use of rhetorical devices, President successfully completed and fulfilled the goals of his speech. Therefore, after reading his inaugural speech, I strongly want to choose this speech to analysis for my research paper. I will analysis John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech based on the idea of social cohesion about liberty, give evidence and number how this speech has influenced thousands of people based on its eloquence and persuasiveness.
President John F. Kennedy brings about a new judgment 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 for the people and allows the audience to feel welcomed. The use of literary devices in his speech allows audience to recognize his goal which is moving forward and bring change and allows his audience to identify with his goal.
President John Fitzgerald Kennedy uses ethos in his inauguration speech to appeal to the audience. Halfway down the second page President Kennedy says “...not because the Communists are doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right.”. This phrase appeals to the audience ethically by saying “right”. President Kennedy strengthens this use of ethos by saying two choices followed by the ethical decision. Then near the end of page three President Kennedy says “...to struggle against the common enemies”. President Kennedy appeals to his audience by calling them to “bear the burden of a long twilight struggle”. President Kennedy calls the audience to do the right thing and not to surrender to “the common enemies of man”. Which,
The Logical appeal of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address is substantial. In multiple points of the speech he uses comparisons to say five main commodities: to unite the country after the split of parties from election, his generation isn’t that of World WarⅡ, to call the Americans ready for war, forced the other countries to choose an ally, and individually address the USSR to make them aware of the potential problems that will arise. At the very beginning of the speech Kennedy states “...we observe today not as
One of the first things listeners recognize in JFK’s speech is his constant repetition. He continually repeats the phrasing “to those,” “let both,” and “my fellow” to maintain a rhythmic pace to the speech and also to give his words a poetic lilt. JFK also uses antithesis to provide a sense of contrast to his words—such as in lines like “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for you country” (Kennedy, 1961). President Kennedy often uses the word “not” in his speech to set up the antithesis, using contrast to bring about a sense of American spirit and pride. President Kennedy also frequently employs metaphorical imagery to drive his message home to the American public. For example, in the line, “To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery,” Kennedy gives listeners an image of an oppressed foreign populace struggling under communist regimes (an obvious reference to the forthcoming Vietnam conflict). By using metaphorical imagery, Kennedy preys on the fears of the American public at the height of the Cold War. This would give him leverage in public opinion as his agenda would shift to combating communism, particularly against Fidel Castro and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis the following