Dean Howard
ENG105
Rhetorical Analysis
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
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The author is able to draw his audience in emotionally by speaking of such countries, and how it eventually ties in to the United States, stating that “(if) a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich,” (3) concluding the connection between the U.S. and those countries who have a lower living standard.
Kennedy continues his appeal to emotion with a weaker, yet still successful attempt. Around election time, seemingly all American’s reveal their inner-patriot, understanding this Kennedy speaks to that inner patriot. Speaking of foreign affairs, he says, “…let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.”(3) This appeal is successful, as speaking of the Hemisphere as a whole represents unity, and also reaches out to the pride within the audience, stating that Americans shall remain in power of all they have worked so hard to obtain. President Kennedy makes a minimal attempt of accomplishing logos, as this was his weakest of the rhetorical appeals. As he approaches the topic of nuclear weaponry and the quest for peace, he implies that we must reach peace “…before the dark powers
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.
His appeals to pathos, from the call to patriotic duty to the hopeful vision of a brighter future, stirred the hearts of his audience, giving a deep sense of national pride, unity, and aspiration. His appeal to logos played a crucial role in the shaping of his message and by acknowledging the challenges facing the nation, Kennedy demonstrated an understanding of helping the nation in need. Kennedy’s address serves as a testament to the power of words to inspire, unite, and mobilize a nation towards the common goals of the
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.
Throughout his inaugural address, Kennedy brings to light the lack of unity throughout the country and the world. He states that “we are the heirs of that first revolution” (¶4) that broke the countries apart, and that the country that stood that day would unite against “those human rights” (¶4) that were promised in the founding of our nation. He connects to his audience by noting significant events in history that everyone knows, such as the founding of our country or the revolutionary war, but that few people truly live by. He awakens in his audience the yearning for connectedness to the birth of our country. On the day he accepted his place as the leader of our country, Kennedy unified his citizens by generating a feeling of
President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address speech, claims that America will unify and assert peace, in and out of the country with the help of citizens who fight for liberty and protect their country. Kennedy supports his claims by applying rhetorical devices to create a good sense of optimism and community. The author’s purpose is to encourage his listeners to stand up and help others so that America can become a better, stronger nation.
Kennedy’s inaugural speech had a bigger historical impact because it brought immediate change. Kennedy made a statement that clearly resembled the tone he wanted to set for our nation’s foreign affairs: “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 evidence shows the willingness that Kennedy had to do whatever it took to preserve and protect civil liberties, and to defend our freedom as well as the freedom of allied nations. With his famous words,” Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.” With these words, Kennedy sparks a sense of nationalism in the hearts of citizens. The well-being of the United States is the primary importance, and the idea that any problem that mankind encounters could be resolved, or at least a solution could be
Throughout the speech, John F. Kennedy establishes his logos by explaining why it would be beneficial to avoid war and achieve a worldwide peace. John F. Kennedy shows
On a frosty day in 1961, John F. Kennedy conveyed a discourse to the subjects and people groups of both America and the world. After the finish of a nearby and aggressive decision, he utilized this discourse not to praise his triumph as president, but rather to join the gathering of people. He tends to the gathering of people with a discourse that would be associated with years to come, as its call to obligation is an intense one. A solid interest to ethics─ his morals, as well as our morals as a nation joined through basic values─ and effective passionate and coherent contentions are utilized to persuade the group of onlookers to stand firm and have any kind of effect. Moreover, he requests to whatever remains of the world by alluding to various regions and nations of the globe while additionally interfacing every individual together as one populace. In this inaugural address, Kennedy interfaces Americans together as one nation and people together as one populace with a call to obligation that depends on a substantial interest to the morals and ethics of himself and the group of onlookers. Also, the utilization of a fundamentally and coherently stable contention with capable symbolism and feelings utilized all through the discourse enables this suggestion to take action to be so viable in joining Americans and humankind together.
Taking the oath of office on the 20th of January 1961, John F. Kennedy Gave one of the most influential and impactful inaugural speeches of all time. Opening by a addressing an end and a new beginning, a renewal, as well as a change, Kennedy gave the american people optimism and the hope they need to pull through the times of the cold war. He addressed the nations who wished to befriend and the nations who sought to destroy us, that he will be willing to pay the price no matter the cost to uphold and ensure that liberty strives. Diving deeper into the Rhetoric, and logic as well as the charisma of one of the youngest presidents to hold office we wish to thoroughly analyze Kennedy’s inaugural speech from head to toe annotating Kennedys words of influence to conclude the intentions he hope to have as a President.
In this article, White explores the construction of President Kennedy’s alluring image. Besides, he examines Kennedy’s presidency particularly on how it reinforced his ideas. During his reign, argues White (230), President Kennedy was portrayed as a moralistic liberal. Such is because he fought for both domestic social justice and peace overseas. As the President, Kennedy boosted his multi-faceted image before he assumed power. Besides, White claims that he was seen as a war hero, a man of letters, sex and familial symbol as well as a gifted politician.
For this week’s forum post I will examine former President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. Now, the introduction of this speech is extremely clear and precise. For example, the attention grabber begins immediately following the address of government officials and citizens. Next, the thesis for this speech explains to the audience how the world is constantly changing. However, there are still problems that exist that should not be an issue. Furthermore, Kennedy goes on to summarize his main points addressing not only the citizens of the United States but the entire world regardless if they are a friend or enemy. Now, after reviewing the transcript of Kennedy’s speech, it is apparent that there are a plethora of main body topics. However,
When a president is able to effectively use the power of rhetoric to move citizens to aspire to achieve the seemingly impossible, this president is able to transcend the limitations of the executive office itself. President John F Kennedy was masterful at this skill and the words he spoke and the dreams he invited us to share are as powerful today as they ever were. Our cultural memory of John F. Kennedy was shaped within a very narrow time frame. Kennedy, born in 1917, was only forty-six years old, when he was assassinated. He had served less than three years as president of the United States at the time of his death (Reader 's Companion to American History, 1991). He served during arguably the most turbulent time in American, and indeed world, history. The disparity between the immensity of Kennedy’s rhetoric and the actual accomplishments of his administration is a testament to the potential power that rhetoric can have. (rewrite)
In his inaugural address, John F. Kennedy establishes ethos by verifying his credibility for presidency. “…we observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom – symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning – signifying renewal, as well as change.” Kennedy states that his victory should not be seen as a win for a political party, but the beginning of change. Kennedy shows that he is a daring leader when he says, “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility – I welcome it.” He proves that he can take on the challenge of leading the country, even through difficult situations. Kennedy will not back down from the responsibility to defend freedom and to
Kennedy evoked a sense of security and a spirit of idealism towards the end through clever manipulation when Kennedy beckoned on all Americans to service and sacrifice; ―’ And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.’ What this statement meant to the people was a totally rethinking of
The beginning of Kennedy’s presidency was a hectic moment in time. It was the middle of the Cold War, a newfound fear of nuclear war, and the presence of communism to name a few. John F. Kennedy addressed these problems- indirectly- in his inaugural address to calm the minds of the American people. His speech may have been short, but it was clear and concise on what he was trying to get across. In those few short minutes, he accomplished something that will forever be remembered by not only Americans, but the rest of the world. Kennedy began the unitation of the people and others around the world that were listening. He, undoubtedly, used many writing techniques throughout such as ethos, pathos, and logos to convince his audience of his inspiring message. Kennedy effectively convinces his audience-- through the use of pathos, ethos, logos, and repetition-- to rise up and unite together for a better future.