A Rhetorical Analysis Of Speech By John F. Kennedy

On a cold January day America’s newly appointed president John F. Kennedy delivered his inauguration address that was incredibly important to America’s success during the Cold War. Kennedy uses his speech as a call to arms, but not only to America but the World and our allies as a whole. He uses his strong powerful voice to appeal to the ethics of the country in the beginning of his speech telling America about the promise we made when we were founded and that we must uphold it still today, telling America we must make a difference. Kennedy also uses ethics to explain that we the people are united no matter what your background or where you are from, he refers to the Americas as one place, because he wants for us to feel unified not divided. Furthermore Kennedy’s use of powerful imagery, logic and pathos allows for him to effectively call the people of the World together during this terrible time.

While the speech’s respectful eloquence is appropriate for the occasion of an inauguration, its youthful energy and look to the future make it distinctly John F. Kennedy’s. , The people of the United States desperately needed a boost in morale with ongoing tension of races, inequalities, the fight against communism and the cold war. The people were convinced that this war would be never ending, and believed in another inevitable war. From the beginning to the end of JFK’s speech, he uses a plethora of rhetorical devices to comfort the people and fill them with confidence.

On June 26, 1963, the famous words “Ich bin ein Berliner” changed the world. These words, which in English mean “I am a Berliner,” were delivered by John F. Kennedy in West Berlin. His speech was viewed worldwide and brought national attention to the Berlin Crisis and the Cold War. Today, most people have heard about the speech, but may not know a whole lot about it. They may ask themselves the following questions:

In the speech “Tear Down this Wall”, the author, Peter Robinson a speechwriter for the White House, attempts to end the divide between East and West Berlin. Robinson wrote the speech; however, former President Ronald Reagan brought it to life when he delivered the speech in West Berlin in June of 1987. Reagan presented this speech in a calm yet persuasive manner, ultimately winning over his immediate Berlin audience. President Reagan’s speech did not just reach Berlin. It was broadcasted all over from Western Europe to North America resulting in Reagan’s tremendous contributions to ending the Cold War. In order to persuade his audience, Reagan uses various rhetorical tools such as suggestions of hope, liberty, and freedom to grab the alienated German forces and reunite the opposing sides.

In 1963, John F Kennedy visited the city, to give a speech that would be recorded as one the most symbolic and moving speech for years to come. This speech was to show and tell the USSR the determination of the West Berliners to remain how they are, which was to stay non-communist.

On June 12, 1987 President Ronald Reagan trekked to the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin to speak to the people of West Germany to express his views regarding to communism it’s inadequacy as a governmental system. President Reagan’s primary goal was to rally the people of West Germany to oppose the Berlin Wall and make steps toward a much needed democracy. Having the position of President of the United States, Reagan had substantial influence on his peers. Reagan was able to use influence with some persuasion and rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos to the German people to provide cogent reasoning.

The two speeches that were discussed in Germany about the berlin wall are similar but also different from each other. John f. Kennedy’s speech focuses on how he has never heard of a wall being put up to keep the people of Germany a divided continent. He also states that his people in his country take pride in being able to meet the people of West Berlin. To add on he also says “I know of no town, no city, that has been besieged for 18 years that still lives with the vitality and the force, and the hope and the determination of the city of West Berlin”. With that statement it lets people know that berlin is a strong and determined country. John demands freedom and in one of the lines from his speech he says “Freedom is indivisible, and

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, arguably one of our greater presidents in our nation’s history, was assassinated on a Friday in the early stages of winter in 1963; however, he had accomplished much more than a man with lesser courage could have in his services to our country. One of President Kennedy’s most memorable actions while in office, actually took place very early on in his presidency; his Inaugural Speech in January of 1961. When attempting to motivate our citizens, Kennedy speaks of our citizens being “tempered by war,” and “proud of our ancient heritage,” he very successfully appeals to the emotions of his audience. Furthermore, his use of ethos quite effective when he speaks of

Ronald Reagan 's speech at the Brandenburg gate was one of the most impactful and important speeches given during the cold war, and aided in the eventual downfall of the Soviet Union. Reagan begins his speech by addressing the people present and recognizing the “freedom” and “feeling of history” of the city of Berlin has. He makes his first reference to previous speakers by saying, “Twenty four years ago, President John F. Kennedy visited Berlin, and speaking to the people of this city and the world at the city hall. Well since then two other presidents have come, each in his turn to Berlin. And today, I, myself, make my second visit to your city,”( Reagan 361) Ronald Reagan adeptly utilizes Ethos Pathos and Logos in his Brandenburg Gate address, he attempts to sway the audience of the importance of success of the marshal plan and western values as a whole, and convince the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961.

Throughout the speech that Ronald Reagan made at the Brandenburg Gate, you can gain insight into what kind of a President and person he was. He showed tremendous courage as he stood up against his advisors that begged him not to deliver this speech. Despite the fear that the Soviets would retaliate, Reagan delivered his speech with resilience and audacity. He is a reminder to many that they should stand up for what they believe in. He alludes to the idea that the Soviets are taking the people’s right to think for themselves by forcing them to conform. Besides this, through division and unrest, Ronald Reagan saw hope for a chance to unify a city in which so much destruction and violence had happened.

Standing resolutely at the Brandenburg Gate, President Reagan begins his speech by defining his audience and drawing them in using patriotic appeals to unite the “American Presidents” (Reagan) and “Berliners” (Reagan) which served to increase his pathos and emotion in the audience. For instance, Reagan, speaking to the people, claims that he came to “join your fellow countrymen in the west, in this firm, this unalterable belief” (Reagan) establishing a companionship with the Berliners, “... Es gibt nur ein Berlin. [There is only one

At the time when tensions were high and the once divided people of Berlin were beginning to lose hope, Reagan was able to captivate millions and not only unite the Berliners but also the world.President Reagan was a man with strong beliefs that made his statements believable and logical.Claiming the benefits of living in a free, democratic country, Ronald Reagan uses pathos, logos and ethos to sympathize with the Berlin people.Given the time and place when the speech was given, Ronald Reagan took advantage to address the Berlin people of their misfortune and provided a sense of support and hope making his speech more monumental than what it already was. Ronald Reagan was naturally a good rhetoric; and he used his abilities to persuade the world of the injustice of the Berlin wall and win over the Berlin people. “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate” by Ronald Reagan was a powerful and compelling speech for its time and helped persuade the people to end communism and reunite the people of Germany.

On June 26, 1963, John F. Kennedy performed the speech “Ich bin ein Berliner” to thousands of Berliners who were actively admiring Kennedy make this courageous speech. The Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall in order to separate Communist East Germany from Democratic West Germany due to people constantly fleeing into what we now call Berlin. Their entrapment caused them to be unable to trade or leave into neighboring countries, resulting them to fall under the foot of communism, but America stepped in and dropped millions of supplies to help Berlin. John F. Kennedy used Berlin as a symbol of strong democracy, hope, strength, and courage. In order to get his message across, Kennedy used a handful of pathos and allegories. Although these devices

JFK would speak in German and say "Ich bin ein Berliner" meaning "I am a Berliner". JFK would use this phrase in order to show both to West Berliners and to the Soviet Union, that the United States and the rest of the free world support West Germany. JFK makes reference to people who don't comprehend the danger of communism and to those who think communism isn't so bad. This causes him to go on to say "Let them come to Berlin." He uses this a couple of times in his speech to emphasize that people who don't see anything wrong with communism should come to Berlin to see how it has divided not only the city of Berlin but also the continent of Europe. He does go on to point out that while democracy is not a perfect system it is a much better system than one that puts up a wall in order to keep its own people from

In contrast to the desolate picture life in East Berlin painted, the economy of West Germany, which also included West Berlin, was rebounding and becoming quite strong. West Berlin’s businesses were booming, and their industry products were readily and rapidly bought by its resident who were eager to obtain the products and goods they had so long been deprived of previously, as a result of World War II.10 This new and heightening demand for goods pushed wages up quickly, and many new jobs were created with the development of new housing units and other construction enterprises.11 Movies, plays, and concerts were also available for West Berlin residents to enjoy, and overall life in West Berlin was good. However, life on the West side wasn’t all fun and games. Their city was still divided, and families were still separated. To the children of West Berlin residents, East Berlin was hidden from view and shrouded in mystery, their only knowledge of the other side coming through school or some form of media. It seemed they constantly asked themselves the question, “ Will the lives of East and West Germans forever be so vastly different and separate?”