Words are dangerous, words travel into the very heart of a person and change how they look at the world. When presenting to a group of people, using normal conversational words will not be enough. In history there has been many great speeches; two great ones were given by John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. President Kennedy's Inaugural Address and Mr. King's “I Have a Dream” have multiple similarities and differences. The similarities are a passion for what they say, how they address a problem they face, and how they use figurative language. A difference is the reasoning for delivering their speeches. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”. This is why passion is a common emotion implied while delivering a speech. Mr. Kennedy and Mr. King both show how much they truly care about what they are talking about. The reader is easily able to interpret their voice in their writing by being able to relate to their fears, idealism, and vision of the future. “we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace” (Kennedy 381). It is at this time that Mr. Kennedy is …show more content…
“those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside” (kennedy,381). At this time Kennedy is illustrating that other countries are trying to gain more power by taking the freedoms from the colonies. By using figurative language kennedy is able to establish a point of comparison. Mr. King also used figurative language often in his speech. An example of this is when he describes a check and the value of the check for “opportunities of this nation... riches of freedom and the security of justice” (King,384), but king states that this check is “marked ‘insufficient funds’”(King,384). King knows that this check does hold value, and one day this check will be
His speech contained persuasive appeals such as logos and pathos. Kennedy says “This peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers...our neighbors know we shall join with them to oppose aggression anywhere…let every power know this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.” This strong quote corresponds with pathos, it pertains to the emotion of hope and courage that the U.S. needs to maintain its high ranking status among other countries. This shows that he wants us to be ready for anything
In the opening of his speech, Kennedy expressed that his presidential victory is a “celebration of freedom” with it – “symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning – signifying renewal, as well as change.” Throughout his address, Kennedy showed emotion in several lines. In these lines, he showed emotion when asking the world to spread freedom, justice, and to get rid of all the evils in the world. Also in his address, Kennedy asks Americans to stand up to the “long twilight struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war.” As a promoter of world peace, President Kennedy clearly stated that the Soviet Union and United States were wasting time and money. Following his swearing in, he used allusion in his speech as he stated, “For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.” Kennedy implies to the country`s independence as an effort to create a great reputation for himself. He does this by alluding to a large moment of when America gained independence. The quote by Kennedy, “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility--I welcome it”, President Kennedy was displaying his devotion to stop the war. He wishes to start a new beginning of
The best way to win the presidential seat is to leave the public with words they will always remember. Kennedy generously uses parallel structure to make his point across; his statements give a call to action while also giving advice on what path not to take. For example, his most famous use of parallel structure, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” (26) lights an American pride to fight for those you identify with. The structure is simple, but firm enough to be boldly stated for emphasis that, together, the community is called “not to bear arms, though arms we need – not as a call to battle, though embattled we are” (23) go against “tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself” (23). Furthermore, Kennedy’s speech becomes more agreeable and understanding to the public as double negatives contradict each other; for instance, “if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich” (9). As the nation listened to his speech, they felt empowered to embody America’s freedom and spread it to the world. Thus, Kennedy left a powerful impression on the American people by leaving the audience with thought provoking messages that the whole nation still looks back on
In conclusion, Martin Luther King jr. and John F. Kennedy were both able to convince their audience to support their cause using different strategies. In other words with different intended audiences and intended purposes, they had to choose different tactics to appeal to their audience and to fulfill their purpose. They were able to guide the target audience into supporting them with the help of specific devices and tools that ultimately led to the long term goal of ending
Looking over a crowd filled with over thousands of people during a snowy afternoon, Kennedy projected a voice filled with vigorous ambition and youthfulness; catching the attention of the country. During his preparation for the big moment, Kennedy desperately wanted to inspire his nation; sending the message overseas to those in the Cold war, ultimately hoping for peace. What really made his speech great were the rhetorical devices, syntax, and diction that he used. He begins the speech by addressing his recognition of his audience. Furthermore, Kennedy kept his speech brief by using small paragraphs. Ultimately, by using small paragraphs Kennedy was able to keep to attention of
Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address is likely as famous and well respected as any other speech in modern American history. It is masterful in its structure and completely persuasive in its delivery. Kennedy used a host of rhetorical devices throughout his speech including antithesis, metaphor, and hyperbole to effectively persuade his audience to appreciate America’s strength, unity, and
Kennedy uses many rhetorical devices in his speech. A poignant example of this is when he employs both denotative and connotative language to add emphasis. An example of him using denotative language can be seen in his sentence; “… F-1 rocket engines each as powerful as all eight engines of the Saturn combined…” (Kennedy, 1962, p. 2). He knows his audience is made up of mostly engineers who would understand what the Saturn and F-1 boosters are, so he does not waste their time explaining the technical aspects of the engines. The audience would probably enjoy this, because it shows that Kennedy thinks highly of their intellect. Kennedy uses connotative language in his statement; “We have had our failures, but so have others, even if they do not admit them. And they may be less public.” (Kennedy, 1962 p. 3). In this sentence, Kennedy connotes that the Russians are also having problems with their manned space program, even though they are reluctant to expose their failures to the public. Kennedy also uses connotative speech when he says; “Well space is...
The issue of social injustice has been around since the start of civilization. A group of people will most likely believe that the government is unjust. At one point in time, some races thought they were better than others. The lower class race fought for their rights, and they fought differently. Civil rights leaders, Mohandas K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. responded to social injustice in similar and different ways.
Both leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and John Kennedy were involve with race in global terms. They both wanted to see a change in the world. They weren’t happy or pleased with how the current state of America was at the moment. As Americans, if we are separate, we aren’t very strong. A group divided isn’t strong. It’s a weak and easily breakable. It’s good though to realize the issues that divided the group and to solve it so that American could be great. This is what these two leaders had in mind. They wanted social justice. They didn’t want the country to be at opposite sides. However, one leader’s first goal wasn’t to end racism, but to end the cold war.
Have you ever dealt with an undesirable situation and envisioned something for the better? Have you ever given your parents a presentation in the hopes that you would get what you desired for? Speech is an effective way that people use to persuade others; the use of logos, pathos, and ethos should all be accomplished successfully. In addition, language is important for conveying ideas to a crowd of people. On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood in front of a crowd with over 250,000 bodies to deliver a speech that would open the eyes of many Americans and promote change. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech is a great example of rhetoric, persuasion, tone and diction. For that reason being, the speech’s historical
In the year of 1963, at Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his, I Have a Dream speech, among several activists in the American public. On that day, King protested not only for his African American rights but for the rights of all African Americans. This speech had a huge impact, as it highlighted the racial problems that America was currently facing. King opened his speech with a section of the Gettysburg Addresses, as well an excerpt of the Constitution, The Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence. The references King presented to his audience gave him the credibility to rationalize historical context. King used anaphora throughout the speech to motivate his followers to fight for the rights that were
Claim: The views expressed by Martin Luther King Jr. and Langston Hughes are quite identical, mostly because they apply similar schemes that complement their ideals.
Both Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy’s speeches represented ethos, logos, and pathos. Each brought a good meaning to their speeches, both being well delivered. King and Kennedy caught the attention of their audience, it being a big key factor. Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy’s speeches will always be known as one of the best speeches ever delivered to the American public, all because it
“I have a dream!” Who can forget the iconic speech delivered by Martin Luther King Junior at Lincoln memorial? The kind of uproar it created then and the kind of grip it has on people even today is extraordinary. This is but one example of the kind of mesmerizing effect a good speech can have on people, the kind of power a good speaker wields. A good speech can move the audience intellectually and emotionally. It can create revolutions, topple governments or lead to the abrogation of racism as in the case of Martin Luther King.
Words such as these throughout the speech as well as the famous line: “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” clearly indicate Kennedy’s message to the American people, which is for every citizen to fight against oppression and promote freedom whenever possible. This message proves to become a prevailing theme throughout the 1960’s, leading to dramatic and progressive eve...