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John f kennedy rhetorical strategies essay
John f kennedy inaugural address rhetorical analysis rhetorical strategies
John f kennedy rhetorical analysis
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Daniela Lopez Per. 5 9-22-14 JFK Speech Essay At the end of the Cold War and amidst mass nuclear bomb hysteria, John F. Kennedy critically needed to uplift the crowd of skeptical Americans, who were unsure of his ability to fit the presidential position as he won the election by such a small margin. He needed to convince the Americans to make their country proud by volunteering when they are most needed, and was successful in doing this by using an encouraging tone throughout most of the speech. It is clear that the President had seen the potential that America held within its citizens, and was eager to have the country live up to its greatness, and to have the citizens exercise their freedom and liberties to help those countries who are living …show more content…
in their own times of poverty and oppression. With the application of parallelism and his choice of old-fashioned diction, Kennedy expresses the true value of patriotism despite America’s current troubles with other communist countries. Claim (#1) Kennedy applies parallelism throughout the speech because it is helpful in organizing several ideas in a way that is easier for the eager crowd to comprehend because of its simple structure which can stay with the listeners after the speech is done. Evidence (#1) The first sentence in the beginning of Kennedy’s speech employs parallelism as he insists, “We observe today not a victory but a celebration of freedom—symbolizing an end as well as a beginning—signifying renewal as well as change.” Within the address, his application of parallelism gives many sentences a steady rhythm because it balances out the ideas, such as in paragraph five when he insists that we” Let every nation know whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival of the success of liberty.” Parallelism also provided more power to his sentences, such as in paragraph thirteen when he dictates that “We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.” The strength that the parallelism gives is also caused by the repetition of the term “beyond doubt” because it emphasizes the importance of having sufficient arms to keep us from ever needing to employ them. Insight (#1) By connecting his ideas, it is easier for his listeners to pick up on his thoughts as they are being said to them. The balance throughout the speech that gives it its rhythm is also pleasing to the ear and keeps all of the ideas organized. Parallelism also has the listeners focus on the emphasized points and ideas that Kennedy finds the most important, and those specific points are able to stay with the listeners after the speech is given. Claim (#2) To establish a formal tone throughout the speech, Kennedy manipulates his diction with the presence of archaic words. These words are able to make his speech seem more traditional, and relate to a past way of speaking, when America had just begun its independence. Many Americans find pride in our revolutionary history and are very emotionally attached to the fight for freedom that their ancestors probably contributed to. Claim (#2) Kennedy includes such outdated words as “forebears”, in paragraph 3, when he says “…yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still an issue around the globe…” This relates the speech to the country’s fight for revolution and connects the American crowd to the speech emotionally, as their lineage may trace back to the revolutionaries who risked their lives to give us freedom.
He hopes for this to inspire his listeners to help other countries who are in a similar state of oppression that we were in whilst under British rule. Kennedy also added the word “asunder” in paragraph seven, in the sentence “Divided there is little we can do—for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.” The addition of the word “asunder” to the sentence has a much more powerful effect than if he had instead applied the word “apart” or another similar synonym because it is reminiscent of the language that many of America’s Founding Fathers commonly employed within their speeches. Kennedy is then able to create a patriotic tone when he mentions “American heritage” in the fourth paragraph, “… born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our own American heritage…” Insight (#2) By including outdated words, the president was able to manipulate his diction to encourage American citizens, and to inspire a new hope in the country by relating this address to the speeches made by the Founding Fathers during the beginning of America.
Conclusion John F. Kennedy’s choice in using parallelism and unique/outdated diction had strongly effected the now proud listeners by relating his ideas to a certain point of our country’s history that Americans are proud to remember, the American Revolution. This also helps Kennedy enforce the viewers’ potential to be as great as their forebears were, and to make their country as proud as they once were before this political turmoil caused by the Cold War. He also seeks to stop poverty and oppression in other countries as well, and Kennedy hopes that Americans will rise to the call of action whenever needed. He hopes that this forward thinking will inspire the listeners to get up and help create a future full of peace and pride, not only for our country but for the entire world.
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
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.
Those words were, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country” ("Inaugural Address."). In order to achieve all these feats, JFK need a nation united. JFK pulled on the nations heartstrings by reminding the nation of it’s core values, which it was founded on. He appeals to that “tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage” side of the American public ("Inaugural Address."). He later goes on to say that change will not happen overnight, but rather change is a continuous process that is always evolving and
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). 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.... ...
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.
Kennedy feels that the way to help free societies stay free is to help out the poor. When Kennedy is talking about helping out the poor, he states that we should do it “not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes but because it is right” (Kennedy 1). Kennedy wants to reassure everyone that he does not have any selfish intent just because he is advocating for helping other countries with their poverty issue. He wants people to understand that poverty is a big issue that needs to be addressed for the betterment of the world as a whole. This increases Kennedy’s ethos because it shows that the future president is compassionate and cares for others over himself. Kennedy also makes you feel sad for all the people in poverty and it makes you want to help. The words and phrases he uses to help secure the pathos because of how extreme his word choice is. For example, when Kennedy first talks about the poor, he chooses to say that the poor people around the world are “struggling to break the bonds of mass misery” (Kennedy 1). Instead of him just saying that the poor people need help because they are poor, he decides to phrase it to show how the poverty effects them. The poverty is so bad that they are practical bond to the miserable place they live currently. He later talks about helping free countries cast “off the chains of poverty” (Kennedy 1). This is so much more descriptive than just saying that we will help the poor. It gives the listener/reader an image of a person who is in chains. It creates an image that the person is enslaved by their poverty and during this time slavery was already hated. More people will agree with Kennedy on helping the poor because they have a distaste for slavery now they see poverty as
Every four years during any US Presidential election, overzealous patriotism hits an all-time high, and it truly shows with the citizen turnout at the newly elected President’s inaugural ceremony. In the months leading up to election day, presidential candidates attempt to persuade voters to cast ballots in their favor through different forms of advertising which contains strategic rhetoric and political language. Political language, otherwise known as “political propaganda”, is designed to influence masses of people within a nation, and even across the globe. As Harry S. Truman stated during the National Conference on Family Life on May 6th, 1948: “the principal power that the President has is to bring people in and try to persuade them to do what they ought to do without persuasion”(Truman,Worksheet). The power that Truman spoke of is undeniable during any President’s inaugural address, which highlights the beginning of their term as the newly elected President, while addressing their plans for the people of the United States over the next four years.
But the point is we need to keep reminding each other and never forget about it. We need to repeat this so much that when we hear it again we have it memorized and we have no doubt about it. Kennedy used this to support his claim and put the nation as a whole to do things together and never be in doubt of their goals and have the common knowledge set in mind. So when you look over to the inaugural speech there is no doubt that the usage of ethos was on point. His morals about religion and doing stuff that led to the right way became very keen. “ With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth and to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.” (Kennedy, 1961) Kennedy always saw the belief the people had in him. Everyone looked up on the family to see what they were doing and tried to do whatever they were doing. He acknowledged all the things he had to do and made it pretty clear that he received good respect from his voters. He gave power to the people. When people looked up on him they saw how much he cared. When the Vietnam War was heating up he tried his very best to keep his words very straightforward and honest. He used pathos in his speech through the usage of the phrases, “ a celebration of freedom,” and, “ forge against these enemies.” By using these phrases, instead of making the war a task for the people, he made it out as saving the country for the people and for their kids. It wasn’t just a "go and fight," but more of a "go, win, and when you come back enjoy what you have accomplished." “ Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country.” (Kennedy, 1961) This quote by itself has showed up in textbooks, general literature, and other writings probably more than any of the
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.
As a younger generation, people should follow the footsteps of their predecessors. Furthermore, it shows that it is not only the government’s responsibility, but it is a responsibility for everyone in this country. Action should be taken by everyone to make necessary changes. Furthermore, all of this will not be completed in one day or even in 1,000 days because this is a long term process. According to the book American Orators of the Twentieth Century by Theodore O. Windt Jr, this speech is “one of the most memorable Inaugural Addresses in the United States’ history” (Duff).
When I read the passage written by John F. Kennedy, or JFK, I didn’t have the same feelings as he did when he wrote it. When I read JFK’s speech I was not as enthused as JFK was when he talked about space travel. JFK was very interested in space travel and wanting people to agree, but now that space travel has already happened, it is not a very exciting text to read. JFK was very concerned about not getting to space, so he worked hard to get everyone on board with space travel. When I read JFK’s speech, versus watching it, you couldn’t tell the difference in his emotions and how much he was interested in space travel. I could tell he was trying to persuade people to learn about space travel. This passage is both a persuasive and informational text. When it’s read now, it doesn’t have much of a persuasive tone, because space travel has happened and is continuing to happen.
Divided in its government, Germany was struggling to maintain a united front. Eventually they were forced to split into separate nations, East Germany and West Germany; with the East supporting communism and the West supporting democracy. The East soon threatened the West, and its American allies, that if they did not remove themselves from Berlin, war was inevitable. As Germans cowered in fear, President John F. Kennedy took action and declared America’s support of Western Berlin. Encouraging perseverance of strong beliefs, Kennedy spoke to West Germany in 1963; he successfully reassured the Germans by incorporating rhetorical devices such as flattery, repetition, and connecting to the audience.
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.