In January 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave his inaugural speech in front of the entire nation at the peak of the Cold War, which became one of the most memorable speeches he would write. The purpose of his speech was to unite the people of his country as one and to acquire diplomatic relations with enemy nations and allies alike. As the first speech ever given during his presidency, Kennedy wanted to make an intensive, effective speech and incorporate his expectations for America, as well as for himself. But as the bitter cold winter morning caused concern towards the people’s safety, Kennedy put faith in the style of his speech to fortify his hopes and goals during the course of his presidency. John F Kennedy’s style of his inaugural address augmented his vision to unite the nation together by incorporating abstract nouns, applying pathos, and having a declarative tone. Throughout his speech, Kennedy was able to include many abstract nouns in a exceedingly skillful manner. With the intentions to unite the people, it was important to think about the concerns and perspectives that would apply to both parties. Therefore, Kennedy used …show more content…
words such as, poverty, freedom, sacrifice, devotion and loyalty. These words were able to reflect on to the common people and allow the audience to accentuate onto his vision . The abstract nouns such as, support, power and hope, were used to benefit the inspiration of Kennedy’s ideas and concepts. When a writer or a speaker applies pathos to their text, they are engaging with the emotions of the audience.
They are hoping to gain the deep emotions for the topic at hand, in order to have the audience or readers side with them on the issue. Thus, Kennedy reminds the audience of the linkage between our forefathers or “the first revolution” and the current generation “born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage.” He refers to the value of freedom and dedication America holds to fight for that value. The former president appeals to the emotions of those who have lost loved ones we he says, “The graces of young Americans who answered the call of service surround the globe.” He also inspires the nation to take a leap of action to defend their country and its
values. For the duration of John F. Kennedy’s speech, he presented his beliefs and intentions with an ambitious tone. “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, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” in this case, it is expressed that while we do not intend to go to war, we will if it is necessary. This shows the nation that as a leader of this country, Kennedy is capable of being determined as well as aggressive. The tone of a speech is significant for a writer or speaker because it reflects onto who they are as a person and their role in society. With this knowledge, Kennedy exhibited an ambitious and resourceful tone, which exhibited the characteristics of his leadership. It also related to what America needed in a leader during the 1960’s. It has been shown, that John F. Kennedy displayed a brilliant use of rhetoric devices and successfully expressed and reinforced his vision. The style of his speech allowed his arguments to affect the nation on a personal level. This gave America the confidence to put the hope and faith of their country into the hands of their new leader, as well as, the understanding of his intentions as president. Kennedy’s speech has gone through history as a signal for hope and change that is read and admired till this day.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Kennedy used allusion in his speech as a way to convey historical liteature into their hearts. For example, Robert F. Kennedy was able to pursuade the citizens to keep the peace once more. In stanza 13 and 14, lines 1 and 2 it states,” Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world/ Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.” This means that the citizens throughout America should stay at peace for hard times are to arise. This is important because all of the United States went on a riot except Indianapolis because of Robert F. Kennedy’s
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.
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.
Kennedy used rhetorical devices including logos, ethos and pathos to show America that he was best for the job, as well as bring much needed hope to the people of the United States as well as the
The emotion in his speech is perfectly used by making the American people feel truly responsible for the well-being of our country. John F. Kennedy 's logic was the best example of ethos, pathos, and logos that he used in this speech; with quotes like “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor; it cannot save the few who are rich.”, and “ Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”. With all the uses of ethos, pathos, and logos he defended the vision of our forefathers and that the world could be a better place. All this speaking not only to the United States, but the
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
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.
Kennedy’s Inaugural Address proposed a new vision for those in the United States.