Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy 's Inaugural Address

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.

President Kennedy always wanted above average and never wanted to settle for good, but for greatness. His inaugural address was his first step into greatness. He was a firm believer in unity and being together as one in this country. Throughout his short, but successful presidency, he shows how important togetherness is to make the country strong. January 1961, John F. Kennedy became the 35th president of the states and was giving his inaugural address. John F. Kennedy’s pathos, logos, and repetition in the speech allow the American people to be eager for his presidency and allow them to see the changes he foresees for the country during his term.

John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech was considered one of the most inspirational speeches in American history. He gave the speech to bolster the fighting spirit and act as an inspiration for the Americans. The reason for this is quite simple actually. He used stylistic devices extensively in his speech to boldly proclaim his intentions. He has proven himself resourceful in his usage of stylistic devices such as antithesis, parallelism, pathos, and ethos. He uses them to fully express his message and to gain the attention and the support of his people in a patriotic fashion. One of the examples of his use of antithesis is when Kennedy is referring to “a new generation of Americans” where he vividly shows the separation between the old and

Through his use of the anaphora, John F. Kennedy implies that a part of his vision is to unify the country and the world under a banner of fearless peace. As an example, he addresses the world, piece by piece, “To those…, we pledge...”(2). The antecedent to which “those” refers varies, but it always retains a respectful tone of logos, occasionally supplemented by pathos due to specific wording. For instance, “sister republics”(2) creates a sense of family, leading to a pathos appeal. One of the “pledges” Kennedy makes is in the form of an anaphora too: we will “help them help themselves, for whatever period is required -- not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right” (2). With this assertion, Kennedy emphasizes that the United States has no ulterior motives for

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.

Powerful connections are made to the audience with figures of speech. These connections portray a dramatic effect, making the audience remember and trust his words. Short sentences help Kennedy to formally transition new ideas of progression. Along with his sentence structure, his word usage helps the audience to connect with new ideas. “United there is little we can’t do… Divided there is little we can do”, Kennedy uses parallelism to create a deeper meaning to his words by framing words with structural similarity. Throughout the speech, the use of bold beginnings like “let us” strongly show unification as a country when speaking of progression, making the audience feel more connected.

Kennedy exercises metonymy to highlight an intelligent conversational tone. “The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavour will light our country and all who serve it…” (Kennedy). He also uses metonymy to broaden the vocabulary used when he refers to other countries as “...sister republics…” instead of choosing to repeat the terms nation and country. Metonymy made his speech diverse in diction and more interesting to his audience instead of repetitive and boring statements that feels more

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.

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

John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech is certainly one to remember. It’s memorable not for its length, but for the effective content that it beholds. He entices readers by the use of strong rhetoric techniques. His inaugural analyzes style of writing, such as diction, tropes, schemes, and syntax, and applies the concept of it effectively throughout the speech. A reader performs rhetorical analysis to examine how authors attempt to persuade their audiences by looking at the various components that make up the art of persuasion. Moreover, it is most essential to be able to understand the relationship among the speaker, subject, and audience, which President Kennedy adequately exploits in his speech.

Through anaphora, Kennedy is able to convey the message that a country that is united and determined can accomplish many goals. The repetition of certain words or phrases invokes patriotism and sense of purpose in the audience which is the effect Kennedy strives for, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us … Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for other nations … Let both sides seek to involve the wonders of science…” (Kennedy). Furthermore, by creating this impact on the audience, Kennedy is able to clearly state his intentions in the next four years and how the administration's objectives can not be achieved without the

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

“John F. Kennedy will always be remembered for two things- how his presidency started and how it ended.” As the thirty-fifth president, John F. Kennedy presented the citizens of the United States with an inaugural speech on January 20, 1961. His memorable speech consisted of goals Kennedy was determined to achieve in order to promote peace. Standing on the podium before his audience, Kennedy spoke with certainty and confidence. Because of his appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos, John F. Kennedy gained the people’s trust. The rhetorical devices of allusions, juxtaposition, antitheses, anaphora, and parallelism, emphasizes his primary goal of uniting the nation using strength and power, eventually leading to the establishment of a presence in the world abroad.

Kennedy starts his speech to his fellow American citizens by suggesting that all of the American people must come together and unite in order to overcome the harsh times after the Cold War. Kennedy uses long sentences in order to add character and strength to his speech. John F. Kennedy uses words such as “freedom”, “renewal”, and “nation” in order to make the American people have a feeling of hope and unity. John uses his crafty diction and syntax to help him present himself as a true leader and add to his integrity. The very complex and patriotic syntax and diction display a supportive mood and reassurance to the audience. Throughout the speech the president uses many rhetorical devices.

An analysis of John F. Kennedy reveals a myriad of ideas that he had for the people of America. This is despite the rhetoric that was present in his speech; three dominant themes emerged from his Inaugural address. These are freedom, leadership and the use of rhetoric in addressing multitudes.