Rhetorical Analysis Of Kennedy's Speech

In Kennedy’s speech, Ich bin ein Berliner, he works to convince people of the flaws of communism as well as the ill effects of the construction of the Berlin wall while motivating and assuring the people of West Berlin that the United States supports them. He does so through the use of parallel structure, anaphoras, absolute statements, logic, meaningful diction, and metaphors. At the time of this speech, the world is in the midst of the Cold War and the Berlin wall has recently been constructed to prevent Germans from the Soviet east from fleeing to the free west. While Kennedy’s speechmakers had attempted to write an address without offending either side, Kennedy decides to go in his own direction. He instead writes his own speech, set

on swaying the people to see the wrongs of the communist system and the flaws of the wall. His approach is very effective and succeeds in providing the west with the motivation to push onward while convincing people of the dangers of division and the imperfection of communism.
Kennedy opens up his speech with a statement laced with parallel structure. He says, “I am proud to come to this city as the guest of your distinguished Mayor”, Kennedy then continues on to say, “I am proud to visit the Federal Republic with your distinguished Chancellor” (Kennedy 1). His language in these two phrases serves to humble himself in the eyes of his West Berlin audience. By stating his pride twice, he appeals to the audience’s nationalism and overall makes them more receptive to his argument and words. In respectfully acknowledging two of their authority figures, he works to show a unity between Berlin and the United States. These two small statements do an effective job of demonstrating the United States’ alignment with West Berlin and its support of their ideals. Following this, Kennedy uses an anaphora to convince the audience of his point. Over and over he repeats the phrase “Let them come to Berlin” (Kennedy 4). In between each of these identical statements, Kennedy speaks directly to those who see benefits in communism. By repeating this phrase he challenges those who see communism in a positive way or think that it can coexist with freedom. He makes Berlin a tangible example of this incorrect manner of thought. With this sentence “Let them come to Berlin”, he challenges those who are blind to the division and heartbreak that communism brings to come to Berlin, and see firsthand the damage it inflicts. The use of repetition and parallel structure serves to emphasize the importance of a point, here it is the abandonment of communism, one of his central arguments.
The next major rhetorical device Kennedy uses is absolute statements.

In the first example, Kennedy says, “Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect. But we have never had to put up a wall to keep our people in” (Kennedy 5). In this comparison of democracy to communism, Kennedy is referring directly to the Berlin wall. His statement is strengthened by his decision to address the nation from in front of the wall. By first admitting the flaws of democracy he demonstrates an impartial attitude, increasing his credibility. He then makes his absolute statement which directly attacks the morality of the communist system. Kennedy makes a black and white comparison which clearly shows communism in a negative light. This obvious fact is not only irrefutable but also one that would effectively show those in East Berlin as well as the communist world the issues in their system. In citing this ethical dilemma, the wall, Kennedy supports his argument and is able to reach one of his target audiences. Kennedy uses another absolute statement paired with logic later on when he says, “Real, lasting peace in Europe can never be assured as long as one German out of four is denied the elementary right of free men” (Kennedy 7). This statement is highly motivational because it cites an injustice felt by a quarter of the population and one of his main audiences, West Berlin. By discussing a common issue caused by Germany’s division, he unites west Berlin in their common struggle,

providing them with the strength to push through and stay strong against the crushing grip of the communist world. In stating that there is only one way to achieve peace, he motivates Germany and Europe as a whole to push toward unity. Both of these statements help to prove Kennedy’s anti-communist point and to motivate the people of West Berlin.
Kennedy’s next section focuses on motivating the Berliners and convincing them to persevere.

He uses a metaphor to accomplish this goal by saying, “You live in a defended island of freedom, but your life is a part of the main” (Kennedy 8). Here, Kennedy compares west Berlin to an island of freedom in the middle of a sea of communism, and much like a small island, they must fight the rising tide that is the surrounding communist world. As a small section of Berlin fighting a constant battle for their freedom outside support is crucial. This is why his statement “your life is a part of the main” is so significant. Kennedy is comparing them to an isolated island but here reminds them that they are a part of the mainland, essentially verbalizing the free world’s support, in particular, the United States’ support. Lastly, Kennedy uses meaningful diction to wrap up his speech and leave a lasting impact. He says, “All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin...‘Ich bin ein Berliner’” (Kennedy 10). In this statement, Kennedy makes Berlin a symbol of freedom. All free men are the members of the free world and since they are all citizens of Berlin, Kennedy is demonstrating their support of the people in West Berlin and their struggle. The very last line in his speech is delivered in German and it is scattered throughout his entire address. He says I am a Berliner, a statement holds immense power. By affiliating himself with the people of West Berlin in their mother

tongue, he works to bridge the gap between Germany and the United States. In addition to declaring support, this meaningful dictionary also appeals to their nationalism, encouraging the people to trust in Kennedy’s words.
In his Ich bin ein Berliner address in West Berlin, Kennedy speaks to both the communist and the free world in order to convince people of the United States’ support of West Berlin as well as the flaws of the communist system. He does this by using parallel structure, a powerful anaphora, two absolute statements, an appeal to logos, a metaphor, and meaningful diction. With Germany divided and the Berlin wall separating family and friends, Kennedy’s powerful speech effectively rallied the people of West Berlin while proving the errors of the communist system. Living in a state of division is not conducive to a peaceful environment and seeing this, Kennedy takes action. While it must be a challenge to give a speech to blatantly disrespecting the enemy, he does what he knows is right and convinces others to follow his path as well.