Rhetorical Analysis Of John F Kennedy's Inaugural Address

To begin with, JFK was the 35th president of the United States of America. He was the youngest president, which meant he had to build trust. One of the main characteristics in Kennedy’s “Inaugural Address” is his powerful use of imagery, when he describes “the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans” (JFK paragraph 4). Kennedy talks about change and a future to look further to. His statement creates an idea of toughness, placing strength in each individual, but also in the President and government. Kennedy paints a desolate picture of the world which creates imagery. He describes the evolving world as “struggling to break the bonds of mass misery” (JFK paragraph 9), and nuclear weapons as “dark powers of destruction” that might “engulf all humanity” (JFK paragraph 11). He creates a dark mood and describes strong visuals to keep the audience’s interest in what Kennedy has to say about possible solutions to create peace. The imagery used is strong as it draws on images that are easily understood by everybody. He believes that all Americans should work together to create the peace they desire. He wanted America to reach its fullest potential. He felt it was important to use the past as an example but to look to the future and be prepared for anything to come.

While the speech’s respectful eloquence is appropriate for the occasion of an inauguration, its youthful energy and look to the future make it distinctly John F. Kennedy’s. , The people of the United States desperately needed a boost in morale with ongoing tension of races, inequalities, the fight against communism and the cold war. The people were convinced that this war would be never ending, and believed in another inevitable war. From the beginning to the end of JFK’s speech, he uses a plethora of rhetorical devices to comfort the people and fill them with confidence.

It’s January 20, 1961. Inauguration day for president Kennedy. Entering his first term as president of the United States, he has to give the “Inaugural Address.” As president of the United States he needs to address his voters and the american people in person or through a television broadcast about his future goals and aspirations. During the transfer of power the US is going on there 14th year of the Cold War. The american people are fearful of a nuclear war and the other half wants to go to war. JFK wants diplomatic negotiations towards peace. JFK uses rhetorical devices in his “Inaugural Address” to influence the american people

The U.S. President is an emblematic leader of our country and to the world, he uses rhetoric in his everyday life to efficiently convey his logic and plans to the public and congress. One of the crucial events in history took place the day John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States. Although the world was in turmoil with communism spreading throughout the world’s powerful nations and weapons of mass destruction being created by the world powers. John F. Kennedy was a leader of the American citizens and symbolized an order of peace. John F. Kennedy was a young leader that brought reassurance to the world and addressed the nation that his term as president would be one of great change and ambition. John F. Kennedy

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.

Thirty-fifth President of the United States of America, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, in his Inaugural Address loosens up his audience with the explanation and addressment of the Cold War evoking our nation. Kennedy’s purpose is to elaborate to his citizen’s that as we fight against issues affecting our nation, we will not stand alone. He creates an informative tone in order to convey to his readers the ideas that these battles are inevitable but we cannot conquer anything we put our minds to.

In John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech, he worked on persuading audience or listeners for the idea which is American should do anything that should be done to assure the survival and the success of liberty. In his mind, American should hold their liberty forever, further guarantee other country freedom. Kennedy really used a lot of rhetorical strategies in his speech. Of course, he used those strategies successfully. One of the rhetorical devices he used was antithesis. Another rhetorical device that I found out was metaphor which is a good way to create a good image, further, make audience believed in his mind.

President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address on January 1961, suggests that the United States must unify and act upon injustices in the country. He supports this claim by first calling out to countries around the world, then speaking to the citizens of America and asking them to take action, and finally by creating a sense of patriotism to help connect the people to their country. Because he is the youngest president, Kennedy adopts a tone of excitement and energy for his younger audience, but a tone of maturity and authority for his older audience members.

“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.

“The test of leadership is not to put the greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there” (Buchanan). On a cold morning on January 20,1961, John F. Kennedy had just pronounced his solemn oaths to the nation in front of thousands in the audience and the millions listening in on his broadcast. Standing at the nation's capital, he was ready to deliver his inaugural speech. Being a leader of an enormous country and a leading figure in the free world you must know how to deliver and craft a speech. John F. Kennedy knew this well and in knowing that he wrote this speech to specifically invigorate the american people and send shockwaves across the globe. In a time of crisis where the cold war grew increasingly tense and total annihilation was imminent, a leader needed to show the american people hope in the coming dangers. In this analysis I will explore the aspects on how Kennedy makes a powerful and encouraging speech by knowing his purpose,audience, and addressing the situation america is in and also using rhetorical appeals such as logos, pathos, and ethos . Kennedy in this speech has many goals of what he wants to do with his country but he also wants to send a message to every other country out there.

Throughout president John F Kennedy 's inaugural address speech he presents several emotional appeals to convey his feelings towards the American people. The purpose of Kennedy 's Inaugural Address speech was to inform the people of what his intentions were for the future of this country. Since this speech was based on his intentions for the future of his country, a sense of trust needed to be established between him and the people, he accomplished this by applying emotional appeals to his speech. President John F Kennedy charged up his speech by making sure he built bridges between him and the people. Through his speech, he capitalized on change, not only for America alone but for the globe itself. Since this time was not a time of peace, where war, inequality, racism was transpiring, President kennedy included numerous lines of hope, that could have potentially been used to persuade the audience to strongly believe in what he was communicating with them. He mentions “For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty…”(Kennedy para2) ,relating to all people of lower class, providing them a sense of hope in which they could look forward to. John F Kennedy then continues by summarizing that it is time for America to shape its own future and that the people as a whole can overcome any obstacle that is bestowed upon them. People at this time found these words very

John F. Kennedy was elected during the Cold War which was fought between the United States and the Soviet Union. Citizens of the United States needed a leader while communism was spreading and dangerous weapons were being manufactured. Kennedy’s inaugural address was delivered on January 20th, 1961 in Washington, D.C. Kennedy envisioned bringing peace with other countries and uniting democratic countries to conquer communism. He dreams of bringing enemies together and creating a global alliance. Kennedy provides appeal to patriotism, appeal to religion, parallelism and antithesis to express unity and peace.

JFK makes it clear that every citizen should do what is right not only to them, but for the benefit of the country. Kennedy uses a quote from the bible to support his ideas of making the world unite, and disengage in their disagreements and to flourish with one another. Furthermore in 1960, the cold war was occurring and in Kennedy’s inaugural address, Kennedy warns about the cold war and how America should aim for peace with all nations in the world. Throughout his speech, Kennedy has a patriotic and hopeful tone.

John F. Kennedy’s purpose in his inaugural address was to, one, establish trust, as he was a young man beginning his term as president. Second, create a sense of peace in the height of the Cold War. Third, give hope to a brighter future, he did this by stating five points he wanted to achieve, which he later did. Throughout the address numerous figures of speech are thrown in. Among many, anaphora, abstract words, and rhetorical questions convey his purpose throughout the speech.

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.