Rhetorical Devices In Jfk Inaugural Address

The inauguration of John F. Kennedy, the former president, in 1961 Washington D.C is a very famous and successful speech. Even though today, over fifty years later, many American people can remember some sentences from it. Due to John’s incredible application of the art of diction and rhetorical devices, this lecture becomes a classic as well as helps him gain more supports. Having won the election by one of the smallest popular vote margins in history, Kennedy had known the great importance of this speech. (Analyzing) Through broadcast on radio and television, the speech was converted to everywhere in the nation. His term of office was during the Cold War, which means he needed to keep the peace. People tempered by war, disciplined by a hard

and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed. International environment was complicated. (Inauguration) According to the speech, he focused on strengthening power of this country, stimulating people to help themselves and attaching great importance to nuclear forces. Over this historic speech, there is logos, ethos and pathos. Moreover, a number of other rhetorical devices, comprising parallelism, figurative language, repetition, rhetorical questions. This essay will illustrate how these rhetorical devices make this speech persuasive and inspiring.

This speech is abundant in parallelism, which allows speakers to maintain a coherence within their work.

At the very beginning, “symbolizing an end as well as a beginning –signifying renewal as well as change.” These let the speech have more rhythms. Inaugural address is designed for the whole world, declaring that the United States will have a new president to start a brand new time. Following parallelisms divide the content to separate parts, so that the each paragraph is more targeted. “To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share. To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free. To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery. To our sister republics south of our border. To that world assembly of sovereign states. To those nations who would make themselves our

adversary.”

One objective of the inauguration is to stimulate citizens to support this president’s governance. Thus, there is no doubt that speaker use pathos to persuade audience, which means to evoke emotions in order to gain approval. “To those people--- struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period us required—not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right.” These sentences give audience an honest and kind impression. “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” These makes residents to believe him that he will be a good president and proud of their own country. What’s more, he lets citizens be proud of their homeland, “let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.” “Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind?” He arouses the enthusiasm of people to devote for this regime, devote for their favorite nation. “Let the world go forth from this time and place” indicated that he wanted to make a great differences during this term of office.

Additionally, logos and ethos are not omitted in this speech.

At the very beginning, he says: “For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.” And at somewhere near the end, he says: “Let both sides unite to heed, in all corners of the earth, the command of Isaiah -- to "undo the heavy burdens, and [to] let the oppressed go free." By delivering these, John establishes his just and reliable image. After the solemn oath, he is a generally acknowledged president. Isaiah was a prophet documented by the Biblical Book of Isaiah. Quotations from his can demonstrate the correctness of John’s opinions.
On the other hand, for logos, when he interprets the reason why we need to help those people struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, he says “if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” Until now, a great number of people still can recite this sentence because of its philosophy. Being friends has much more benefits than being foes. “United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do -- for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split

asunder.”

Moreover, there are a lot of comparison and contrast in the speech. For instance, “We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom -- symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning -- signifying renewal, as well as change,” and “the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.” These makes listeners understand clearly.
However, there are a few other figurative languages. “To remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside,” is a metaphor. There are some rhetorical questions to make listeners to think, “my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
Due to John’s incredible application of the art of diction and rhetorical devices, this lecture becomes a memorable classic.