Jfk Famous Speech Analysis

John F. Kennedy will always be remembered for two things; his triumphant inauguration and his tragic assassination. After being sworn in, Kennedy gave the traditional inaugural speech. He addressed America, as well as the rest of the world, to inform them what his intentions were during his presidency. By referencing current events such as the Cold War, he was able to identify dilemmas in need of a remedy. Kennedy's overall message was meant to inspire his nation and convey strength and hope to the world abroad. At the beginning of his speech, Kennedy condensed his message. He stated the problems in need of fixing during his presidency while also proposing solutions for them. By doing this, Kennedy was able to evoke confidence from Americans that he will follow through with his claims. Kennedy used anaphora, allusions, and emotional appeal to create an effective argument in the first half of his inaugural speech.

With the Vietnam War affecting so many people across the world, Kennedy took extreme caution in what he said. His use of pathos includes many patriotic expressions and words to unite Americans. His phrases like “forge against these enemies,” (Kennedy par 23) “cultural and spiritual origins” (Kennedy par 6) and “a celebration of freedom” (Kennedy par 1) imply that the war is not simply a political issue, but a moral responsibility. On the other hand, though these phrases offer a feeling of civic duty, nothing compares to the legendary quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country” (Kennedy par 25). This message is so powerful because it speaks of

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.

JFK uses anaphoras all throughout the speech as a way to establish a connection with the common people. This intelligent approach works because anaphoras base themselves off of repetition of a beginning phrase such as we; therefore JFK's use of the repeated words we, fellow, our, and both sides causes any person listening to feel connected with the president. This only adds to JFK's purpose of trying to unite America towards a singular positive goal because the people feel as though the new president is one of them; and the new president will have their best interest at hand. Moreover, JFK proves this with his statement, "...we dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution." This not only unites the people but creates a call for action to unite like the founding fathers. This furthers the sense of equality created through anaphoras because it establishes that everyone shares a connection through their ancestors. By connecting to the founding fathers, and to people themselves, JFK keeps a

Kennedy also brought the past into his speech. He spoke about Americas founding ideas and how the other countries did not support them. Kennedy wanted to change that. He hoped that every nation would put their differences aside and support each other’s views on freedoms.

This previous knowledge and image of JFK builds up his ethos before the address was even given. The speech has many quotes that are still well remembered and hold a deep impact in many American lives today. Most notably was the qoute, “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”(JFK Library). This quote is a prime example of how JFK bridges appeals, pathos and logos, it creates a middle ground and commonality between JFK and the citizens. Also the sense of patriotism brought from this quote is a great example of pathos.

One of the most influential presidents in United States history, John F. Kennedy was a brilliant politician and public speaker. In his inaugural address, he sparked hope around the world by discussing the hardships faced by all of society in the present time and then leaving them with a message of freedom, power, and hope. This measure of impact is not achieved easily; Kennedy masterfully utilized the art of rhetoric to emphasize his message and win the hearts of his people. In the middle of the speech, he discusses the dangers of the modern world and his drive toward international peace and cooperation. These messages are stressed through his use of charismatic language to signify his vision of a new and better world.

For instance, parallelism such as the statement, “whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, hear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe,” gives flavor to the speech by pointing out opposite words within a single sentence but still making it work. A few antimetaboles are used in the speech, such as “let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate” and “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” make the speech more effective by twisting around the order of the words, or syntax, to get people to realize a point. Additionally, what makes Kennedy’s speech so effective is that he can transition from a simple sentence to a more complex, meaningful one in a matter of lines of the speech. In accordance to the diction, the words in his speech (freedom, poverty, devotion, and loyalty) are considered abstract. This is because they all convey a tone of desire and significant qualities held by friends. They strengthen and add more feeling to the speech as well. However, the archaic words, such as writ and forebears, are used in a manner to bring in the old language as well as the new, therefore there is sophistication as well as understanding. Kennedy also uses juxtaposition when he says, “peaceful revolution,” and this adds spice to the speech because of the contradiction of the two powerful words. Yet

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

President Kennedy utilizes rhetorical appeals and a variety of figurative language to formally express his beliefs and goals in a strong and eloquent manner.

Kennedy begins his speech expressing how “the world is very different” from what it used to be. He uses multiple rhetorical strategies that express and describe how he is going to lead their “very different” country by providing his audience with a sense of community. For example, Kennedy applies juxtaposition to his phrase, “United there is little we cannot do… Divided there is little we can do…” to compare what America can and can’t do when everyone is united. During the time when Kennedy was elected president, the Cold War was at peak of its period. He bravely announced 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,” using the rhetorical strategy asyndeton. He uses this particular mechanism to attract his audience and give emphasis to the ideas he wants to communicate. He starts the phrase off with “we,” as he wishes to convey to his listeners that we are going to pay any price, that we are going to bear any burden, that

JFK had many great speeches, the biggest and best arguably being his Inaugural Address. If you think that giving a speech to gather followers is easy, you’re wrong. It is an art, there are many trick to it. Some people have mastered this, and JFK has mastered this by using the ethos of ethos a lot in his speeches. The idea of teamwork is a common theme to him.

Kennedy used anaphora as a way to emphasize his point to the audience. JFK repeatedly explained to the crowd of people listening that he did not want the country to be split into different groups, but he wanted peace and harmony among all Americans. He continuously begins his sentences with “Let both sides…” By creating a sense of unity throughout the different groups of people, JFK tried to convince the audience that a major change was needed for the United States. By repeating the words “Let both sides,” JFK allows the audience to believe that war is avoidable for the country. JFK uses repetition when he says, “For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.” By saying this, Kennedy shows Americans that the world is different now,

By using words such as ‘’Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country’’. As explained above, John. F.Kennedy uses revolutionary beliefs to create emotional historical content. In the next part of his speech John. F.Kennedy uses incredible words such as ‘’allies’’ and ‘’faithful friends’’ with the use of charismatic voice which give off an incredible effect.

It is one of the shorter inaugural addresses with a mere 1,355 words. He wanted to address many issues throughout his speech, but he also wanted to keep it simple, yet impactful. The word choice Kennedy utilizes is formal and sophisticated. It is vital as the president to be presentable and charming and Kennedy is able to convey that through his diction. It is also apparent that he is able to maneuver his word choice in a manner that makes the listener or reader feel empowered. For example, he states, “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” His diction along with his tone, is inspiring and poignant. Instead of mentioning conflicts he wants to address as a president, he mentions conflicts that we as a nation should work on. He makes the American people feel included and capable of making a difference. For instance, he mentions, “The energy, the faith, the devotion which we to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.” In the first part of the sentence, he compliments the great values that the American people have. It is also significant that the characteristics he uses are not ones that can be taught, but ones that have always been in us as individuals and are general enough to be applied to the entire nation. He goes on to say that these attributes coupled with our desire for change can make a difference in not only our