Public Service: John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address

John Fitzgerald Kennedy delivered one of the most important American speeches after being sworn in as president on January 20, 1961. His inauguration speech was so influential that it seized the nation’s attention, and quotes from it are still clearly remembered by people today. It is considered one of the best speeches ever written and ever delivered. It presents a strong appeal to pathos, ethos, and logos and accomplishes what any speaker strives for – it speaks straight to the heart of the audience and inspires people.

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.

In the beginning of Kennedy’s inaugural, Kennedy uses allusions to “God”, in order to display his religious beliefs. He states that, “I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.” (Kennedy, paragraph 1), and Kennedy’s use of this allusion is rhetorically effective, because it appeals to both, pathos and ethos. The allusion appeals to pathos, because it connects to, in general, human nature, because in times of desperation, many people look towards God for guidance and help, despite God’s existence being unknown. God’s uncertain existence, being the case, appeals to pathos, because it displays human nature and or the human

John F. Kennedy is known as one of the most famous people in history. His life began on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was born into a wealthy and prominent family that gave him a very privileged childhood. While growing up, John attended private schools, including Canterbury and Choate. In 1936, he enrolled at Harvard. After graduating, Kennedy joined the U.S. Navy in 1941. He served there for a total of four years and then left to run for Congress.

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.

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.

In conclusion, strong appeals to morals and emotions are important aspects of Kennedy’s inaugural speech, which was aimed at uniting the people of the world as one by referencing their commonalities− such as shared backgrounds, cultures, and values. Kennedy creates connections between the different societies and groups of people in the world to emphasize his powerful call to duty, which serves to further unite the audience together with a common goal to ensure that we can all live in a world of peace and stability, where basic human rights are protected for

John F Kennedy’s inaugural speech is widely considered one of the best speeches ever given. By the time Kennedy was elected, he had earned a degree from Harvard University, spent time in the Navy during the Second World War, and was already enjoying a successful political career serving in both houses of Congress. Kennedy delivered his eloquent inaugural speech to thousands of people on the steps of the Capitol building and millions more watching the broadcast on television which was the first to be shown in color. Something that I believe that he did better than other political speakers is that not only did he attempt to comfort his audience of the fear of the spread of communism, but he also successfully maintained the same tone throughout his speech; not only did that make his speech easier to comprehend and well received but it has continued to inspire generations since. Ultimately, the newly elected president delivered one of the most quoted and well known inaugural speeches to date.

John F. Kennedy Inauguration speech uses a different style to portray the president 's legacy. Here we get to hear a first person account of what he hopes for the nation and what his objectives ultimately are. The prominent method of persuasion used is ethos while there is also a presence of other key rhetorical terms throughout the speech. The readers are compelled to listen and take in all of the words given by John F. Kennedy since there is that sense of trust or credibility in his statements. He has now become arguably

The famous speech by none other than john F, kennedy, titled the “inaugural address” is known by many and many know how literary devices built this outstanding speech, making a grand impression on this nation.

JFK’s, Inaugural address states President Kennedy’s vision and mission for his term in office. Kennedy discusses important topics such as human rights and foreign affairs, voicing the common belief of hope shared by his audience.

Throughout his speech, Kennedy uses several devices to execute his point. In particular, he gathers the audience’s hearts by using pathos and appeals to their emotions. For example, he specifically addresses different groups of people around the world, including our “old allies,” “those new states,” the “people in the huts and villages,” “our sister republics,” and the “world assembly of sovereign states” (Kennedy online). He also repeats the words “we,” “our,” and “us” to make everyone feel included no matter who or where they are. While the president makes it clear he is speaking to all nations, he also speaks solely to the citizens of America and appeals to their emotions specifically. He reassures everyone that America’s strength and unity cannot be damaged by others when he says, “let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate”(online). He goes on to remind all citizens of “the graves of the young Americans who answered the call to service” that lie all over the globe (Kennedy online). This causes Americans to both remember the people who gave everything to protect their country and to think

Kennedy made no attempt to dance around the controversial issue that remained the reason for the speech in the first place. With confidence he spoke frankly, “But because I am Catholic, and no Catholic has ever been elected President, the real issues in this campaign have been obscured--perhaps deliberately, in some quarters less responsible than this. So it is apparently necessary for me to state once again-- not what kind of church I believe in, for that should be important to me-- but what kind of America I believe in” (Kennedy). With that, he began to back up his claim through the use of logic. As Americans, people tend to feel quite proud and passionate about their freedom and rights. Brave pilgrims founded the very nation purely on the desire for equality. Kennedy uses the familiar story of the shared ancestry of every American to remind the audience that America fights against the persecution and shaming of any person. The America Kennedy desires “is the kind of America for which our forefathers did die when they fled here to escape religious test oaths that denied office to members of less favored churches” (Kennedy). Through recalling the true history of the beginning of America, he showed people that freedom remains significant to America’s creation; denying opportunity based on religion violates America’s true nature. Thus, if Americans support freedom as much as they claim to then any man, regardless of his faith holds the opportunity for consideration for president. With that logic, Kennedy qualifies for freedom from judgement because of his religion. Kennedy similarly swayed the listener by bringing up one of the most

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.

Being the only Catholic President, John F. Kennedy shares his strong faith in God, saying “And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe, the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” John F. Kennedy bases a lot of speech on his faith in God, implying that it placed in the hands of God and no longer up to us, implying God helps those who help themselves. He demonstrates power when he states, “In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” Meaning, we are in charge of what is to come. He symbolizes an end, as well as a new beginning. Each American has the chance to make the change, and it lies within the hands of generations to come. He uses his most famous quote to demonstrate freedom by saying, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy signals renewal, as well as change. This famous quote is also paired with a quote about freedom, it states, “My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” It was paired with a line about freedom, intentionally. These two lines, taken