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Death of jfk and its effects on the u.s
John f kennedy leadership and impact
The impact of john f. kennedy's death
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The Inspirational Outcome of John F. Kennedy's Address As representative leaders of a nation and a dire fundamental of American Democracy, U.S. Presidents must use rhetoric in their everyday lives to successfully express their thoughts and ideas to the public and congress. At a dire moment in American history, John. F Kennedy was elected as the thirty-fifth president of the United States. Kennedy was elected at a time of great disorder in not only the United States, but also throughout the world. With communism increasing throughout the world's nations and dangerous weapons being conceived by the world's greatest powers, the people of the United States were looking for a leader. As the country's youngest president ever to be elected to this …show more content…
present date, Kennedy needed to institute his credibility as a leader, and prove to the world that his term would be one of modification and hope. A president's inaugural address is a speech that offers a first impression to the public. In his first address, Kennedy provides a well-organized speech that uses emotional language to establish his ethos to a worried and on edge multitude. Trustworthiness can be argued as one of the most worthy potentials that a president can possess. If a nation cannot put trust in their leader, then that nation cannot abide in consolation. Throughout the course of his speech, President Kennedy uses several persuasive appeals to stimulate and gain the trust of his multitude. Because the purpose of his speech is to motivate and not necessarily educate, the use of logical appeals is not widely used throughout the address. However, Kennedy efficiently uses emotional language to make his multitude feel included in his goals as President. Kennedy makes the task of bringing peace and opulence to the world as not only his own individual objective, but also that of the American people. With famous lines such as, "Ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for country," the multitude feels personally accountable for making the world a better place in which to live their lives. Aside from imparting a feeling of responsibility in his multitude, the most distinguished aspect of Kennedy's address is his ability to use language for the purpose of rousing a sense of “pride” in the American citizens. During his address the President constantly uses images of freedom and liberty as he reminds his peers that they are, "The heirs of that first revolution." This language prompts the multitude to think of the United States as a strong, father-like nation that is responsible for the goodwill of all the nations of the world. Although the language of the speech is largely emotional, Kennedy also spends a significant portion of his text establishing ethos to not only the American people, but also the citizens of the world. President Kennedy first establishes his ethos early on in his speech.
Despite his young age, Kennedy is still expected to perform on the same level as past presidents. Aware of this expectation, Kennedy assures his multitude in the first paragraph of his speech that, " [he] has sworn before [the multitude] and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago." He wants his multitude to know that he has gone through the same process as all past presidents, and plans to hold the same American values upon which the nation was founded. Kennedy then moves on to propose several pledges to American citizens, friends of the state, and enemies of the state. The overall oath is one that assures the above groups of peers that the United States will do whatever necessary to, "assure the survival and the success of liberty." This vow establishes Kennedy's credibility as a promoter of democracy and freedom. The speech promises to America's allies that it will continue to maintain a productive and meaningful relationship. To the citizens of third world countries it promises salvation. Kennedy's address dedicates a paragraph to every group of nations in the world, even America's enemies. By appealing to the adversaries of the country, Kennedy institutes credibility as a President who no longer wishes to fight with his enemies, but rather work with them towards a better world. The persuasive appeals used throughout Kennedy's inaugural address …show more content…
are made more successful by the well-organized nature of the speech. Organization is responsible in any speech for controlling the order of which information and appeals are introduced to the multitude.
In the case of Kennedy's address, the organization of his points and appeals adds to the efficiency of his words. As mentioned above, his address begins strongly with an appeal to ethos. Having established some form of trustworthiness, Kennedy then seeks to set a context of the age in which his listeners live by explaining that, "The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty." Having set an urgent and grave tone to his speech, Kennedy then proceeds to give his series of pledges to the various types of listeners tuning into his address. The newly elected President ends his speech by preaching to the American people that his goals appeal to something larger than the individual. By ending with a broader appeal to a higher power, Kennedy finishes his speech with his multitude ready to work together to accomplish his objectives. The reason that this appeal works within the confines of the speech is because the multitude accepts such a demand for
freedom. At the time of President Kennedy's inaugural address, the American people and the people of the world lived in tension. Increases in weapons technology and the escalation of the Cold War left parents watching as their children performed air raid drills in school. In an anxious world, Americans looked for peace. Knowing the mood of his observers, Kennedy cleverly formulated his speech in a way that would give him support. However, Kennedy also was aware that the members of his multitude were citizens of a largely Christian nation. Therefore, the numerous references made to God have a large appeal to the multitude. Most effective is the final line of the speech, which states that, "God's work must truly be our own." By comparing his ambitions to that of God's, Kennedy gains the support of millions of citizens. John F. Kennedy's inaugural address is a powerful speech that delivers a strong message to its observers. The consistent use of emotional language throughout the speech inspires in the multitude a feeling of pride and responsibility that makes the address all the more effective. The organization of the speech increases its ability to relate to the multitude. Starting off on a personal note and ending with a wide appeal to the whole nation, the address both establishes credibility and motivates the observers. However, it is Kennedy's ability to judge the mood of his multitude and analyze the context of the times that is ultimately responsible for the success of this great and classic speech. "
“Born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage.” (Miss, Daly, Pg.). This show the U.S. people that he really loves this country and really cares about what’s going on and what happens to it in the future. Another way he brings pathos into his speech is by the language/words he uses in his speech. When he is talking he uses a lot of words like “we”, “us”. This makes the U.S. people feel very connected to him and makes the feel like they are a part of it to, it is like they made the decision to vote him president and now they get to help him make his decisions about the future of America. In his address he says “In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” (Miss, Daly, Pg.). which again he connects to the people by making them feel involved and by basically saying the future of America is even more in our hands then in his and it really depends on us in how we want America to turn out, and again makes the U.S people feel very patriotic and proud of their country. Overall John F Kennedy was very successful in persuading the U.S. people about their choice by using pathos and by just talking to
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.
“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.
(Kennedy). Kennedy’s usage of “we” rather than “I” gives the audience a sense that they exist as part of something big, perhaps a family, while portraying Kennedy as a people’s president who desires to be a “person in the crowd.” Throughout his address, Kennedy establishes pathos mainly by appealing to American patriotism, a significant concept during the Cold War period in which Americans needed a jingoistic spirit to succeed. By reminding his audience of their forefathers and instigating parallels between “the first revolution” and the present generation, “born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage,” the president grasps the attention of the audience. He even stresses the value of liberty and this generation’s dedication to the survival of that value to rouse this patriotic spirit.... ...
On January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy made his inaugural address to the nation. He stood in front of the podium to convince citizens that he is the best person to turn the country around. He used experiences from the past, such as war, poverty, and the need for peace to get the attention of those who wish to see change within the country as well as countries we work with. Kennedy spoke in a way to to persuade the american people, as well as the soviet union to come together. In this speech President John F. Kennedy used ethos, pathos, and logos as well as other rhetorical devices to convince his audience.
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 1961, John F. Kennedy presents a very authoritative and persuasive inaugural address with a surplus of rhetoric. His speech is full of rhetoric in order to manipulate or sway his audience to his new policies. Kennedy’s objective is to unite the country and he does this through fear, duty, and pride. In order to create unity, Kennedy appeals to fear by revealing one common enemy: nuclear warfare. Nuclear warfare could mean the destruction of many countries, which Kennedy effectively presents to America and the world. Kennedy’s earnest tone push the people to invest in his purpose to provide freedom and peace around the world. He stirs at their emotions by effectively using imagery, which helps create pictures of mass destruction. In
In the opening of his speech, Kennedy expressed that his presidential victory is a “celebration of freedom” with it – “symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning – signifying renewal, as well as change.” Throughout his address, Kennedy showed emotion in several lines. 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 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 country`s independence as an effort to create a great reputation for himself. He does this by alluding to a large moment of when America gained independence. The quote by Kennedy, “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 do not shrink from this responsibility--I welcome it”, President Kennedy was displaying his devotion to stop the war. He wishes to start a new beginning of
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.
These addresses contain propaganda techniques that most listeners wouldn’t recognize as propaganda, including: glittering generalities, transfer, plain folks, card stacking, bandwagon, and testimonials. One of the most memorable inaugural speeches in American history was delivered by President John F. Kennedy on January 20, 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 international affairs.... ... middle of paper ...
As emblematic representatives of their country, U.S. Presidents exercise their beliefs and concepts regularly through the use of eloquence. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected president of the United States in 1960. Kennedy became president during times of great danger and fear for the nation of America, and others around the globe. With Communism becoming even more popular, and large weapon’s being frequently produced all around the world, the people of America needed a new premier commander. As the youngest elected official to ever govern the White House, Kennedy wanted to show his genuineness as a ruler, and verify that his presidency would lead to great hope and a future.
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.
By delivering his inaugural speech, President Kennedy mentioned not only the American people, but also people from all 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 fear of drawn-out cold war, and to bless the hope for peace in the nuclear age. By using the extensive use of rhetorical devices, the President successfully completed and fulfilled the goals of his speech. Therefore, after reading his inaugural speech, I strongly want to choose this speech as an analysis for my research paper. I will analyze 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.
“American Rhetoric: John F. Kennedy – Joint Session Speech on Urgent National Needs (transcript-audio-video).” American Rhetoric: John F. Kennedy - Joint Session Speech on Urgent National Needs (transcript-audio-video). N. p., n.d. Web 8 Dec. 2013.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President of the United States of America at noon on January 20th, 1961. He then delivered his inaugural speech in The National Center for Public Policy Research's Archive of Historical Documents. Kennedy’s speech, one that Thurston Clarke referred to as “...the speech that changed America.” may quite possibly have done just that. Kennedy’s speech sought to convey many messages to the American people. It, at the time, speaks of a world which is “very different now” and notes the importance and prevalence of change in American society and the rest of the world. The most important theme taken from Kennedy’s speech perhaps though is its call to arms of Americans to become active citizens and to fight not only the wrongs and injustices to freedom taking place throughout the world but also to advance the rights and freedoms experienced within the United States by turning inward and actively pursuing change for the betterment of American society.