Eisenhower Anti Intellectualism

In John F Kennedy’s “Inaugural address”, he tries to bring the nation together by speaking confidently and powerful. Kennedy’s vigorous use of rhetorical devices including Antithesis, Reasoning, Emotional Appeal, Allusion, and Anaphora that contribute to the success of his speech. JFK uses these rhetorical devices to convey his ambitions and hopes for america as a nation in a whole. Also hoping for a pledge of peace; that we do not show weakness. In his hopes of coming together our acts individually would make us look and be stronger. Kennedy used his speech as a way to draw all of the audience in by pulling us together.

Prior to John F. Kennedy’s inauguration was, of course, the election of 1960, in which Kennedy went face to face with Richard Nixon on issues such as, the Cold War, Kennedy’s religious beliefs, and the display of each’s competence. In Kennedy’s inaugural address, he not only alludes, but also addresses to the Cold War, and makes mention of his future plans and Roman Catholic religious beliefs; and, he does so through use of allusions and anaphoras. Through the use of allusions and anaphoras, Kennedy effectively achieves his purpose of fulfilling citizen’s expectations, addressing the Cold War, and stating the United States’s future plans to his audience, the United States of America and other nations, through emphasis and rhetorical appeals towards pathos and ethos.

President Ronald Reagan changed the way society viewed public speaking and politics and continues to make his impact on the world today as his rhetoric serves at the outlines of numerous governmental leaders such as President Trump (Costa). While his speeches occurred over thirty years ago over television and radio, Reagan is still remembered as being a monumental orator in history as his speeches are still highly critiqued in both academic settings and public history (Hayward)(Peters and Woolley). Throughout my paper, I will analyze the rhetorical devices Reagan used that were meant to unite, in order to help readers understand the rhetorical devices used in political rhetoric, which consequently both united and excluded certain people. Understanding past rhetoric of an orator such as Reagan will lead to a better understanding of the rhetorical devices used by political figures and the impacts they

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that 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. This much we pledge - and more."1 The United States of America has always been an important moving force in world history, and the 1961 presidency was but another testament to American astuteness. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, an inspirational president, gave his inaugural address on a wintry and white January day, speaking of American values and courageousness. This inaugural address establishes what Kennedy plans to do while he is in office, and shows how he desires to unite and improve the country. John F. Kennedy effectively uses rhetorical

In the following speech, Kennedy expands on his views regarding his Catholicism affecting his changes to win presidency. He emphasizes his strong beliefs in the separation of church and state and his own personal independence in the decision making process. The general theme of the speech in that religious intolerance has no place in a modern society, and no place in making a determination about who is qualified to lead the nation.

During 1948-1961, the American people became overwhelmed with calamity regarding fear of the Cold War, as well as the impacts of WWII. The president at the time, Dwight Eisenhower; a former U.S General won the election of 1952 and described his ideology as “modern Republicanism”. Ike and his administration believed in a balanced budget, as well as conservative government spending; “Conservative with money and liberal with humans”. Eisenhower time as president would allow the middle class to thrive economically; by adding social security, minimum wage, and Departments of Education, Health, and Welfare. Eisenhower's strategy to promote the “good times” of the 50’s economic success, stand against Communism and create his “Brinkmanship” allowed American society to prosper, and address the nation’s fears.

John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech is certainly one to remember. It’s memorable not for its length, but for the effective content that it beholds. He entices readers by the use of strong rhetoric techniques. His inaugural analyzes style of writing, such as diction, tropes, schemes, and syntax, and applies the concept of it effectively throughout the speech. A reader performs rhetorical analysis to examine how authors attempt to persuade their audiences by looking at the various components that make up the art of persuasion. Moreover, it is most essential to be able to understand the relationship among the speaker, subject, and audience, which President Kennedy adequately exploits in his speech.

In “Do Eggheads Make Great Presidents?”, Richard Brookhiser argues that intellectual presidents express “inflexibility and hauteur”, making them very vulnerable compared to the thoughtful and more flexible presidents. (Brookhiser, 15) Jefferson and Madison were one of many intellectual presidents. The first example of inflexibility is when both Jefferson and Madison realized that the American government was falling apart under the new Constitution. They were in disagreement with the government regulations at the time, and instead of trying to support the government and conform to the nations needs, they created their own party. (Republican Party) Another example of Jefferson and Madison’s inflexibility is when they express their disgust

On snowy, freezing cold January morning in 1961, five hundred thousand people lined Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. The temperature was only twenty-two degrees Fahrenheit and eight inches of snow blanketed the ground in the American capitol that morning, causing even more traffic than usual, but that didn’t stop these hundreds of thousands of people from attending John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s inauguration ceremony. Little did they know, they would be hearing one of the most famous and memorable speeches of all time. Out of all forty five presidents, the inaugural address that American citizens would remember more than all the rest was that of John F. Kennedy. But what made it so memorable? After all, each president has given at least one, sometimes even two or more, inaugural address. Kennedy’s speech was neither the most elaborate nor the longest; it had one thousand three hundred and sixty four words and took thirteen minutes and fifty five seconds to read and it used relatively simple language. The importance of the address laid not in the length or the intricacy, but in the theme and the rhetoric. With figurative language, themes of unity and freedom, and appeal to Ethos, Logos, and Pathos, Kennedy’s address became not only one of the most memorable inaugural addresses, but one of the most memorable speeches of all time.

Compared to Kennedy’s speech, Eleanor Clift’s, “ Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration, 50 Years On,” utilizes a journalistic approach while still appealing to ethos and pathos to achieve her purpose. Clift establishes her credibility through the use of many direct quotes within her article rather than establishing shared values like within Kennedy’s speech. The article is structured so that each paragraph of the article is the recollection of a different person who attended; a different perspective of the inauguration is discussed each time in chronological order rather than the use of parallelism and climax. At the same time, Clift appeals to pathos, similar to Kennedy, but instead uses anecdotes rather than figurative language. An example of which is seen in the quote, “We forget, looking back on it, how powerful the anti-catholic was,” which states the difficulty Kennedy faced in the election due to his affiliation with Catholicism. The quote is then followed up further in the text with the quote, “We had to win in West Virginia to prove that a Catholic could win because there were so few Catholics there, only 1 or 2 percent.” A feeling of inspiration and respect toward Kennedy is created similar to the feelings patriotism stirred during his inauguration speech. Clift establishes her article in a different

John F. Kennedy once said, “I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President, who happens also to be a Catholic.” In this single sentence, he uses a method of Aristotle’s persuasive speech making. One of the greatest examples of using rhetorical strategies is indeed John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address of 1961. John F. Kennedy uses diction, syntax, and Aristotle’s method of persuasion in his inaugural address that not only made it uniquely his own, but made it undoubtedly one of the best, emotion tugging, speeches ever.

The PBS documentary Divided States of America is a thorough compilation of information starting with Barack Obama’s rise to the Presidency, his subsequent eight years in office, and the events which led to Donald Trump’s election to the position of the forty-fifth President of the United States of America. Amid these important events there were many smaller ones, both positive and negative, which when articulated in the documentary, provided all the gritty details about how and why those major events occurred. Most of the events covered were events which I had very limited knowledge about before my exposure to the documentary. As my knowledge and understanding of the events which transpired during this period increased, a few events really

N, R. Kleinfield’s article “New York Reactions to Trump Inauguration: Fear and Prayer” gives insight to the response of the citizens of New York as they watched the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The article highlights the split between the 79% of people who voted for Clinton, and the 21% who voted for Trump. The majority of people saw it as a somber day, one that deserved either no attention at all, or one that caused large grievances. Citizens would ignore the address, bow their heads in silence, and some would weep from sorrow. On the other hand, others viewed him as a beacon of hope. They had the “If he can do it, I can too” mentality. People saw themselves in Trump, and he gave them hope that he could reshape the world.

John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, has become one of the most famous presidents in the nation's history due to his oratory skills and eloquence (Biane,2011). In this paper, we present an analysis the inaugural speech that he delivered in January 1961. Even though his Inaugural speech lasted less than fifteen minutes, the message that he saliently delivered was one that has continued to resonate in the very hearts of American citizens.

Donald’s Trump’s victory in the 2016 election is very complex. The political mishaps that have occurred since JFK’s presidency reshaped the American psyche of who the president should be. This chain of dissatisfaction with the federal government led the American people to hope for a president who is honest, free of corruption, and supportive of the middle class. Trump recognized the American need for a new kind of president and took on a persona that perfectly exemplified this. The Trump Mythology is the belief that Donald Trump is a transparent, honest politician; however, this is only part of the equation. Belief in the Trump Mythology contributed to his victory, but it is also important to acknowledge the respective roles of demographics, voter turnout, and Hillary Clinton’s flaws. An interesting difference between the Kennedy Mythology and the Trump Mythology that is worth noting is the role of the media. Throughout the Kennedy Era, popular media fed the people’s fascination of Kennedy’s Camelot, perpetuating the mythology. Donald Trump, however, was largely hated by popular culture. American media ultimately discounted Donald Trump as a viable contender for the presidency.