John F. Kennedy knows the increasing cost of steel will affect the whole nation negatively. In order to address his concern to the American people, Kennedy uses numerous rhetorical strategies. The purpose of his speech is clear and indicates his want for change. The American people are able to understand their leader’s speech because he employs the strategies that will connect with them on a personal level. In lines 3-5, Kennedy uses statistical evidence to convince the American people of the problem. The steel companies have increased their prices by six dollars a ton. Steel is usually bought in bulk by contracting companies and builders, so this hike really makes a difference. The contracting companies are American companies too, and they …show more content…
are feeling the wrath of another company’s selfishness. Kennedy describes the steel companies’ affects on the public with the descriptive words “unjustifiable and irresponsible”. In Line 11, Kennedy connects emotionally with his people with the use of pathos.
He mentions the servicemen that risk their lives everyday to protect the rights and freedoms of the American people. The state of the nation was very tense at this time, as America was fighting the Vietnam War. Four soldiers had been killed in the past two days, and the steel executives had the nerve to hike the prices. Kennedy was furious that the steel companies had given the American people just one more thing to worry about. One hundred and eighty-five million Americans were trying to keep afloat, while the executives fought for the power and reign of the steel industry. They were money hungry, ignoring the fact that all Americans needed to make a living. In lines 29-31, President Kennedy uses the strategy of ethos in his speech. He mentions that if the rest of the commercial and industrial industries mimic the steel companies it would cause stress in American families. The costs of their everyday items would increase, which would then lead to the plunging of the United States’ economy. This continuous inflation would leave our elderly without pensions to live on. Kennedy is inferring that it is our ethical obligation to take care of our elders, and the price hike will eventually keep us from doing …show more content…
so. Throughout the whole essay, Kennedy’s choice of diction really leaves a lasting effect on the reader. He uses the term “handicap” several times. Whenever he uses the term, he is referring to how the efforts of America and it’s people will be deterred. The efforts to stop the inflation will be stopped, leaving us in an “inflationary spiral”. The efforts to make industries and unions adopt better wage policies will be stopped. Kennedy’s choice of diction is saying that the American people’s effort for a better life will be stopped. In lines 60-61, Kennedy employs the strategy of comparing and contrasting to persuade steel workers that their work is being taken for granted.
At the same time he uses evidence from the Bureau of Labor. In his speech he states that the employment costs per unit of steel are the same as they were five years ago. Both of these strategies appeal to the logic of the American people. If the steel costs more, the employees should be paid more. Kennedy uses this tactic to specifically target the steel workers. The steelworkers are basically where the change would start, as they are all likely a part of an union. This statistic will light a fire in the workers who want their hard earned
money. The president of the United States of America uses several rhetorical strategies throughout his speech to the American people. The purpose of his speech was to convince the American people that the steel companies had done so wrong, and he was successful. The price hike is affecting everyone, and will continue to do so until the American people express their rights and freedoms. Kennedy basically gives the American people two choices. Either accept the hike in the price of steel and have your hard earned money taken away, or fight for what is right and take the selfishness away from the steel exectuvies. Kennedy believes the executives should be selfless, not selfish.
His use of an absolute and unwavering tone establishes an incompatibility between the interests of the public and the recent greedy actions of steel corporations. This creates an ‘us vs. them’ mentality, that Kennedy continuously emphasizes throughout his speech to further justify his opposition to steel companies as a defense for the “public interest.” After directly stating his opinion, Kennedy shifts his speech towards the current events of the time, citing the “grave crises in Berlin”, the Vietnam War, and the limitations on union members. This use of logic seeks to sway the audience to join his opposition to the 3.5 percent rise in steel prices.
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
Kennedy makes the steel companies look bad by revealing how greedy they were. It was a time in which there was more important things to do. The steel companies knew what they were doing but they decided to increase the prices anyway despite the problems it would impose on Americans. Kennedy states “…a few gigantic corporations have decided to increase prices
Kennedy, in his speech appeals mostly to logos by using hards facts and statistics. For example, in line 20 he explains how the inflation of steel is affecting “185 million Americans”. He continues using logos throughout his speech when he introduces Sect of Defense McNamara and tells the American people the steel inflation would an “estimated one billion dollars to cost of defenses, at a time when every dollar is needed for national security”. However, this is also an
The President starts off reminding the audience of the grave conditions both domestic and overseas. He mentions the war, “We are asking asking Reservists to leave their homes and families for months on end, and servicemen to risk their lives—and four were killed in the last two days in Vietnam.”, and this especially tugs at the heartstrings of Americans who have lost family. He also acknowledges that unions have done their best to lower wage demands. By acknowledging every American's effort, he again aligns himself with the audience to target a single enemy. The audience will feel hear and there will be rallying support for the end of oppression of these steel companies.
This particular rhetorical device appeals to those listening because they can trust a man who is sure of what he is talking about and can back up the facts with ease, for example in paragraph five he says “Nations own scientific manpower is doubling ever 12 years in a rate of growth more then three times that of our population” verifying his theory thus gaining the audiences trust in order to support his main idea. Kennedy strongly demonstrates logos through comparing the cost of the space program to the amount of money people spend in the United States buying tobacco products a year. This negative cause verses a positive cause makes it clear to the audience that only good can come from supporting NASA because “that budget now stands at $5,400 million a year--a staggering sum, though somewhat less than we pay for cigarettes and cigars every year” making the positive choice obnoxiously obvious. Kennedy choice to use logos within his speech is ideal for evidence to back his speech can only result in the audience having no reason to doubt therefore
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
He has the audience infer that the steel companies raising their prices was what they were doing for their country, and what they were doing was not helping like Kennedy has wished. This reference back to something that had a huge impact on many people strengthens Kennedy’s point of view and helps him achieve his
Evident throughout his entire address, Kennedy employs a cogent pathos appeal to keep his audience intrigued. This can be demonstrated when Kennedy initially proclaims: “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans…” who he urges to be “unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of…human rights to which this nation has always been committed…” (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 rou...
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 focusing on the National economy and ending the recession, Kennedy accomplished a meek increase to the minimum wages for workers, during his presidency. But, he lost the confidence of business leaders in 1962, by seeking to rollback what the administration regarded as excessive price increases within the steel trade. Although, he succeeded in his direct objective, this did not come without a price. President Kennedy ultimately, alienated an important source of support by later calling for a large tax cut to grant capital to large corporations, meant for stimulating the economy (Hoagland, 2008).
John emphasized if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. He felt Americans needed to use their freedoms to do great things, not just be thankful they have them. Pres. Kennedy’s heart longed for the nation of America to grab hold of the reigns of their freedom and take it to the extreme. The extreme would be to feed the hungry, help those in poverty fight their way out of it, and make peace in the world more often than war.
Even though much of the address is fervent in tone, Kennedy devotes a large section of his topic to outline his ethos to all inhabitants of the world. JFK introduced the use of the ethos at the inception of his address. Kennedy was very young when he came into office, but he was still obliged to act at the same level as former presidents. Attentive to this condition, Kennedy states, “[he] has sworn before [the audience] and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.” Kennedy wants to make it clear to everyone that he has endured through the same operation as all the other leaders, and intends to uphold the American principle that this country was Jensen 3rd.
At the end of the speech Kennedy moves to the problem-focused coping element and tells the audience how they can honor the great and late Robert Frost. Keened urges society to “set the artist[s] free to follow [their] vision wherever it takes [them],” because what they create “nourish[es] the roots of our culture,” (lines 47-48). Kennedy desires that the country “never forget that art is not a form of propaganda” instead “it is a form of truth,” (lines 49). Frost was a unique artist whose vision was able to affect the world and Kennedy wants to make sure that future artist have a society that is willing to support their vision. Kennedy then makes an appeal to the artiest, he wants them to “remain true to himself and let the chips fall where they may,” (lines 55-56). If society is going to support future artist then these artist need to be true to themselves so they can make an impact on society. Kennedy does not establish any credibility in his speech, because he did not have much of a pervious relationship with Frost. The two had only met a couple of times when Frost was speaking at Kennedy’s
... Americans are so happy in this country. Freedom is was what this country was founded on and he wanted to spread it to the world. Ethos is quite simple in his speech. John F. Kennedy is obviously a smart, brilliant man that became president. He wouldn’t be where he was if he wasn’t those things, there American people would not have elected him to office.