Rhetorical Analysis Of Robert Kennedy's Speech

Kennedy advocates greater civil rights for African Americans. Because of increasing violence and chaos between whites and blacks, Kennedy felt the need to address the nation concerning racism. In John F. Kennedy's speech, The Nation Faces a Moral Crisis in Regard to Race, Kennedy hoped his audience would consider and support equal rights for all men “I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents […] This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds […] It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights

Robert F. Kennedy tried his hardest to unite people with this speech about the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. He wanted every American, whether they are black, white, hispanic or middle eastern, to acknowledge the lack of compassion, love and unity in our nation.

On the night of April 4 1968, people gathered to listen to the wise words of Robert F. Kennedy. What many thought was going to be a political speech soon took a twist, and the news of Martin Luther King’s assassination was announced and out to the public. Gasps and tears quickly erupted while everyone was gathered around Robert Kennedy’s pickup truck as he stood high above all trying to bring hope and comfort to those who lost someone that fought for their equality, rights and freedom. Kennedy's speech was powerful and successful because of the way he showed empathy to the crowed. He related the tragic scenario to his own life bringing comfort to the many broken hearted and showed both sides of the situation using contrasting forms. Lastly, Kennedy’s speech consisted of repetition with the use of anaphora.

Robert Kennedy Speech “Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.” (1968) explains that the death of Martin Luther King Jr, will affect their community but they must remain calm. Kennedy uses the motivational appeals of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos multiple times in his speech in order to get the message through his audience that went to support his conference campaign.

In Robert F Kennedy’s speech, “The Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.” He wanted to let fellow Americans know the sad news of Martin Luther King Jr passing away that night. Martin Luther King Jr was a social activist who played a huge role in the American Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King was known for his Famous “I have a Dream” Speech that touched many Americans Lives. The speech was to put an end to racism that was occurring in the United States and called for civil rights. Throughout the speech, Robert F Kennedy explains ways we can continue Martin Luther King Jr’s Dream.

Kennedy’s speech, “On the Mindless Menace of Violence” was also spoken on April 5, 1968, the day after the tragic assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. The purpose of this speech was mainly to inform the society that violence, high is inside of every single American, is slowly destroying the society. Furthermore, he urges that Americans stand together United as one to prevent violence by truly believing in the equality of all men. Kennedy uses antithesis by stating, “Whenever any American's life is taken by another American unnecessarily—whether it is done in the name of the law or in defiance of the law, by one man or a gang, in cold blood or in passion, in an attack of violence or in response to violence—whenever we tear at the fabric of life which another man has painfully and clumsily woven for himself and his children, the whole nation is degraded” (Kennedy). The power in this quote speaks to the entire nation. It states that violence, no matter who is attacking or being attacked, is still violence, and, with it, the nation cannot survive. Also, Kennedy asks multiple rhetorical questions to the audience, leading to the fact that violence does not accomplish anything. In addition, he delivers the powerful line, “No wrongs have ever been righted by riots or civil disorders. A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled, uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of reason” (Kennedy). With

I am bewildered by the fact that one of the greatest American speeches ever written is unknown to the majority of the American public. A speech so powerful that it prevented a major city from rioting. The words of Robert F. Kennedy on April 4th, 1968 in Indianapolis, Indiana still persists strong in the sight of his burial in Arlington Cemetery and in the minds and hearts of the individuals who got to witness this live. The speech was known to be so dynamic that some scholarly institutions like that of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Texas A&M regard the speech as the seventeenth greatest American speech of the twentieth century (Wisconsin-Madison & Texas A&M). Whether it is your first or fifteenth time reading or watching the speech, it is still fascinating to grasp how Robert F. Kennedy is able to convey his message of unity and peace in such an equivocal way in order to try to prevent the city of Indianapolis, Indiana from rioting in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. I believe Kennedy accomplishes this through the usages of rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos and pathos. To further understand this principle, the reader would have to understand the context which led up to the speech and how it affects the speech itself.

Freedom is something that every American citizen is entitled to. It is one of the attributes that our country was founded on. John F. Kennedy’s “Inaugural Address” and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech focuses around the concern of maintaining America’s freedom. However, while both speeches speak of making sure that America is still the free, safe nation is was meant to be, the two former presidents had different ideas on how to do so.

Civil rights activist and humanitarian, Martin Luther King had said: “Today the choice is no longer between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence.” Such wisdom was echoed by Senator Robert F. Kennedy as he broke the news of Martin Luther King’s assassination to Indianapolis. Through “Remarks on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.”, Kennedy effectively appeals to allusions and anaphoras to reinforce the cause Martin Luther King had devoted his life for, and to inspire unity amongst black and whites.

King wrote one of the most influential speeches ever, and to be able to see if it was effective, an analytical tool could be used called The Rhetorical Triangle which helps the identify the speaker, the audience, and the subject in the speech. The speaker in “I have a dream” is Martin Luther King, Jr. The audience of the speech would be anyone during that time period who believed in the idea of cultures mixing. And the purpose of the speech was to encourage hope in people. He wished to unite white people and black people in peace

After reading and analyzing Dr.Kings “Remaining Awake during a Revolution” commencement speech that he presented at Oberlin College during his graduation ceremony; he wanted the people to have a good visual on what he was explaining and talking about. King wanted to inform the people about what was going; so he used allusions, statics, and logos.

The Acceptance Speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. emphasizes the racial injustice being held by the majority white population in 1964, by the use of repetition. Kings acceptance of this speech involves a complex understanding of a people in a critical point in their lives. He uses different statements to define the authenticity of a cause that means a great deal to him. Martin Luther King Jr, is a man of God, fighting for the rights of his people to be treated as equals, in a way very few have tied before, nonviolence. In the year 1964 in Oslo, Reverand Martin Luther King Jr. accepts an award half of his people, but not without explaining the priorities of freedom that his side is fighting for. King uses repetition constantly in his speech in

He was able to find a proper and fitting response to the injustices of African-Americans. He spoke on a subject many didn't care to hear about, the deep injustice of segregation. The Kennedy administration had stalled on the issue and even avoided supporting the civil rights demonstration which King spoke of ( 2000). To King, this offered an opportunity to end the delay that the Civil War's promises had made. He knew he wasn't just talking to protestors, but also the Kennedy administration, to white Americans apathetic and unaware of the injustice, and also to segregationists and racists (Rappaport, 2002). In this speech, King planted his place as first among equals in civil rights leadership. "From this first televised mass meeting, an American audience saw and heard the unedited oratory of America's finest preacher, and for the first time, a mass white audience heard the undeniable justice for black demands" (Seattle Times, 4 April 1993). King said "There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship."

Similarly, Robert Kennedy’s speech also concerns with the assassination of a great man – civil activist Martin Luther King. In his speech, Kennedy, as in Mark Antony’s eulogy, also uses repetition, especially anaphora, to augment and stress the purpose of his speech – that peace and solidarity, instead of anger and division, should be the response to such a devastating event. In his speech, he describes the appropriate course of action in response the recent assassination, “What we need in the United States is not division;” urges Kennedy, “what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and

"Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country," is a well-known quote among Americans that has so much meaning behind it. John F. Kennedy was a president for the United States and loved among many American citizens. His speeches were always thought out and used many rhetoric devices to reel his audience in. Therefore, making his speeches brilliant and known the citizens of America. By going over the main points of rhetoric JFK used in his innagural speech like antithesis, pathos, and the theme one can realize how deep the speech actually is.