Rhetorical Analysis Of John F Kennedy's Inaugural Address

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.

John F. Kennedy delivered his Inaugural Address in 1961 to the entire nation. He establishes a conversational tone through the use of rhetorical devices. His use of metonymy and asyndeton elicits a feeling of solidarity and unity in the masses who listened to their new President. JFK’s catchy usage of chiasmus institutes compelling structure and an open, friendly attitude. These aspects of his speech were necessary for seeming like an approachable figure instead of the formal, far-away airs that are associated with the title President. Metonymy, asyndeton, and chiasmus were essential actions towards Kennedy’s goal of reaching his audience in a compelling and conversational way.

But let us never fear to negotiate.” This states his commitment to dialogue for resolving conflicts and advancing national interests. By outlining specific policy goals and strategies, Kennedy appealed to the logical reasoning of his audience, demonstrating his leadership. In conclusion, John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address stands as an example of effective rhetoric, employing ethos, pathos, and logos to inspire, challenge, and persuade his audience to help the nation become an overall better place to live and work. His establishment of ethos gave him credibility as a leader worthy of trust and respect.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 to November 1963. JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy) took office in 1961 while the Cold War was at its peak. Times were tough from America, with Cuba and Russia on the edge of warfare... JFK had just won the 1960 Presidential Race with only a miniscule margin of votes, thus making individuals question his ability to lead the nation into a good direction. However, at his inaugural address, John F. Kennedy utilizes rhetorical strategy, word usage, and emotion to obtain the American People’s trust.

On Friday, January 20, 1961 John F. Kennedy delivered a speech to millions of Americans. This speech was not only in honor of his victory during the presidential election, but it was his way of uniting his audience into a conversation that included his beliefs and wants. In order to unite his listeners JFK successfully used several rhetorical devices, as well as emotional and personal appeals that helped him maintain a conversational tone as well as a clear and compelling structure.

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.

On January 20 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered his inaugural address. In JFK’s address he is attempting to persuade the citizens not only from the United States but from around the world to come together and encourage people to fight for liberty, peace and unity. He does so by using diction throughout his address.

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’s (JFK) Inaugural Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history given after his victory in the 1960 Presidential election. In that era of United States history, the country was facing a drastic shift in group consciousness with many movements breaking out such as the Anti-war, Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements, to name a few. The new generation of voters were looking for a candidate that could inspire hope, peace, and progress in the nation. JFK’s speech addresses all these concepts that would set the tone for his term as president, as well as gain the trust of the American people.

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.

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.

In the first part of his speech, JFK pledges to the world how the U.S will help them to achieve peace and freedom, he makes his purpose effective by establishing his credibility. Then, he continues on to further appeal to emotions with a tone of strength and inspiration, using imagery and repetition. Beginning his speech, Kennedy first establishes his credibility to the audience by alluding to the Declaration of Independence. First, Kennedy mentions that he will continue to follow the oath that his ancestors took “ a century and three quarters ago”. By applying this allusion to the Declaration of Independence, J.F.K. assures the audience that his point will be well researched.

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.

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.

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.