Rhetorical Analysis Of Jfk 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.

John F Kennedy was the one of the most memorable presidents to have been a leader of our country. He wrote his inaugural address not only to make a statement to the American people, but to the world, a world in a barrage of chaos, war and hardships. An a American nation ready for a change.

In both speeches, the Kennedys used intensive repetition to define the stances they took on the topics they choose to talk about. In JFk’s speech, he uses the phrases, “To those” and “Let both sides,” to bring notice to the problems in the world and the people who can solve them. When JFK says, “To those,” he is speaking about countries that have recently gained independence, people who suffer from poverty, the countries of the world that have a strong alliance with America, and enemies of the country at the time (JFK 1-2). With these relationships noted, JFK goes on to say “Let both sides,” to show that it is not only the responsibility of just America, but of all powerful countries to negotiate and work together to solve their problems (JFK 2). Much like his brother, RFK uses repetition to reveal the trouble at hand, but he also uses it to give instruction on how to stop these threats. He first uses the phrase, “This is,” to clarify on the violence that America faces, which include the violence of institutions, economical and racial violence, and the violence towards areas of poverty (RFK 1). To solve these

President Kennedy's first speech after being inaugurated is a bold but necessary statement of courage and promise.President Kennedy uses the rhetorical strategy of syntax in his inaugural speech to create strong areas of focus that easily stand out to the audience. Kennedy provides the syntactical device of antimetaboles and antitheses to make his statements carry more value in their meaning. Through this, his points are very present and succeed to motivate the American people.

In the introduction of his speech, JFK acknowledges the changing times by juxtaposing current events with those of the simpler past. This man was inaugurated in the midst of the Cold War, one of the most significant conflicts in American history that was successful in generating fear amongst the masses due to the looming possibility of worldwide destruction (Zubok). As America’s vulnerability was exposed, the people were in desperate need of a reliable leader who could reintegrate hope into their daily lives; this was easily achieved through their exposure to the president’s truthfully optimistic tone. Kennedy does not remain oblivious to the issues that have dictated foreign relations for years, acknowledging the fact that, “… man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life” (Kennedy). This personal integration of a reflective and solemn tone that is further exemplified through emotionally charged diction is successful in establishing the foundation of his speech, for it informs the nation of the impending threats. However, he counteracts the negativity by conveying to the people that his tactical approach will focus on the “survival and success of liberty” (Kennedy). These quotes are directly related to the speech’s appeal due to the fact that Kennedy presents himself as a well-informed individual who is

Rhetorical Analysis of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address The newly sworn in President John F. Kennedy, in his Inaugural Address speech, inspires hope within his audience during the stressful times that the world was facing. Kennedy’s speech was written with the intention of rallying the American people to move forward diplomatically with the tension created by the Cold War (John F. Kennedy Library). He establishes a hopeful tone to reassure his audience that they can manage to resolve the conflicts they were facing together.

John F. Kennedy's inaugural address was a powerful speech delivering a strong message. His uplifting speech inspired the audience a feeling of pride to successfully convey his ambitions and hopes for America. His use of rhetorical devices such as alliterations, antithesis, repetition and pathos help him deliver the purpose of the speech more effectively.

Kennedy aims for his speech to be used as a call to duty to unite all of his listeners. There were many pressing issues─ threats to freedom and liberty, existence of poverty and misery, and lack of peace and civility─ that he felt should be rectified. He states that his inauguration should be a beginning of renewal and change, and goes on to connect Americans together. He appeals to the shared background of this proud and disciplined generation of “heirs of our first revolution” and asserts that this generation will prove their patriotic loyalty by leading America to join in the effort to assure the “survival and success of liberty.” All Americans, born here or not, are members of the great American ‘melting pot.’ While we may have different ethnic or racial backgrounds, all who live in this proud country are all people who believe in values such as liberty, freedom, and justice. We are all descendants or supporters of the brave patriots who fought in the revolutionary war to stand for these same principles, and by

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.

John F. Kennedy was a very loved and admired president, his speeches were eloquent and professional which made him one of the best presidents. Surely the biggest day of his presidential life was his inauguration day, it was a whirlwind for him and his family, according to Eleanor Clift’s article, Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration. Pictures from the inauguration day also show Kennedy as the center of a positive attention from the American public. While Clift captures how Kennedy’s inauguration day affected his staff and family, Kennedy is portrayed as an inspirational, unifying, and kind president in all three sources.

The American public, fearful of the cold war and the ominous nuclear warfare possibilities, were given hope and united by John F. Kennedy's memorable inaugural address. It is a tradition for the new president to give an inaugural address in hopes to unify, reassure and provide a future vision for the american citizens. Kennedy's address accomplished this and achieved for the speech to be considered the greatest speeches of the twentieth century (Mehltretter). Kennedy used several literary devices to make his speech memorable; however, two methods stand out his use of powerful imagery and allusion.

On November 22 of 1963 at 1:00 P.M., John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, died after being shot thirty minutes earlier while riding in a parade in Dallas, Texas. The nation mourned for their slain president. Many parents and grandparents still remember the day of the assassination and the days that followed as the country was left grieving and in a period of bereavement. In the time immediately following his death, the nation remembered his moving inaugural address which gave hope to the ongoing and future aspirations of the country. Given after he was sworn into office, Kennedy aimed his speech toward his Cabinet and his fellow American citizens. Purposefully, Kennedy used rhetorical features to project the ideas of

John F Kennedy “Inaugural address” speech was held in January 20, 1961. He was the 35th president of United States of America. Joseph Opiela published it in 2006. This publication was a part of the book called “80 Reading for Compositions.” Kennedy argues that freedom is the right of all human beings. In his speech, Kennedy claims that America opposes neither aggression nor subversion. He states that all America people should proud of him self and support his nation for this new generation. He pledges to support those people who struggle to survive due to poverty. He mentions that he can use their countries power to support other countries freedom. He also upholds the idea of working together in a given society with out segregation of rich

Kennedy inaugural speech was successful was because he used pathos. Just by the way that he talked during his speech, he grabbed the attention of many. Kennedy used such a force and dominance when he spoke that it really made a positive impact for him. He was clear when he talked, it wasn’t a mess of words thrown together. During the inauguration speech of 1961 the energy of the American citizens was through the roof. What he ultimately wanted to get across in his address was his devotion to the United States because that’s what all citizens of the U.S. wanted to hear. He talks about the founders of our Constitution and tries to connect their first revolution to our generation, “We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” (Kennedy). That shows everyone that he thinks they will prosper just like America did in the first revolution. Also, him saying that just reminds people of how far the U.S. has come since that first revolution. John F. Kennedy played on people’s emotions because he brought in the fact that many have lost loved ones in wars. “Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.” (Kennedy). Kennedy is saying that

President Kennedy announced his speech in front of Americans throughout a crisis to bring the nation together to be able to provide within peace and providing friendship and companionship. Overall to addressing his speech, he hoped into inspiring many Americans and other countries to work harder for what they believed in and to bring peace. He delivered the speech with confidence due to having faith in his people to be able to accomplish the challenges he presented.