Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address

There are many things that a speech must contain to make it a well written and spoken speech. John F. Kennedy 's speech he gave on September 12th 1962, titled “Address at Rice University on the Nation 's Space Efforts”, better known as “We Choose to go to the Moon” contains many of the important factors of a successful speech. Kennedy used rhetorical strategies and skills to help him influence the American people to help accomplish the major goal of reaching the moon. Kennedy did not only want to reach the moon, but he wanted to be the first country to do so. President Kennedy effectively told the objective he found important by using ethos, pathos and kairos throughout his speech to help get the support of the people. By using these three rhetorical strategies Kennedy gave a moving speech.

In 1961 John F Kennedy gave the Inaugural Address speech. He was young and very smart. The speech was given in Washington D.C. The speech was about the cold war between the U.S. the Soviet Union.

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.

The speeches of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy are both meant to deliver a powerful message. Despite how similar these messages are, there are contrasting ideas that set the speeches apart. The speeches of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy share similarities in their statements on freedom and the main purposes of the speeches themselves, while differing in historical context.

As a person who was known for his ability to speak publicly, and communicate comprehensible meanings while inspiring the people of his nation, President John F. Kennedy (JFK) gave his inaugural address on January 20th, 1961 in Washington D.C.. JFK was widely distinguished for his ability to use rhetoric in front of the masses, and in mass media. Like many authors and penman, President Kennedy implemented huge doses of rhetorical strategies in his speech, focusing on the appeals of Aristotle: ethos, logos and pathos. Ethos is used to convince the audience of the author’s credibility, logos is an appeal through the use of logic and reasoning, while pathos is an emotional appeal (Gayle et al). JFK applied all these rhetorical appeals

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.

In John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, he speaks to the citizens of the United States and other nations around the globe. His purpose is to not only establish his own credibility as the new President of the United States, but also to motivate his audience to change for the better and listen to his words. Kennedy uses a confident and energetic tone for the citizens of the U.S. and those who want to find out who the new American President is. He emphasizes his main ideas using anaphora, chiasmus, alliteration, and abstract words, and it invokes a desire to come together as a nation and make a difference in the world.

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

JFK had many great speeches, the biggest and best arguably being his Inaugural Address. If you think that giving a speech to gather followers is easy, you’re wrong. It is an art, there are many trick to it. Some people have mastered this, and JFK has mastered this by using the ethos of ethos a lot in his speeches. The idea of teamwork is a common theme to him.

Throughout his inaugural address John F. Kennedy uses anaphora, calls to action, and appeals to ethos to gain the peoples support in spreading freedom and peace around the

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.

In addition, the diction of the inaugural speech was very formal. He was great at persuading the audience emotionally. For example, he states, “To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves…” Kennedy's pledge to help those in need around the globe. Having many emotion already running through the audience's mind, adding this really showed how he was persuasive. By doing so it showed even more why he was the right choice for the people. Connecting this back to similarities of the documents, in Doc 2 its diction was similar. This article written by Eleanor Clift for Daily Beast, wrote,¨ … Kennedy. And he said, ‘Dick, did you see the Coast Guard contingent in the parade? There was not a single black face in that delegation, and I want you to do something about it right away.¨ The reason why this connects to Kennedy̕̕ s inaugural speech

The overall theme in this speech unifies the whole speech. JFK's speech shows a theme of progression. This is the perfect theme for an innaugural speech because the whole goal of the country is to progress as a whole once a new president is elected. He shows this theme of rhetoric in his quote, "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" (JFK). He uses the word, "we" and "progress" to help signify unity. Repition is combined into the speech to make the theme stand out. "Let both sides" (JFK). is a start to a few paragraphs in this speech, these three words combine the two political parties and is the start of progress and teamwork to making this country stronger. Last but not least, the most important quote in this speech is, "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country" (JFK). This famous quote is appealing to the mind because one, JFK says "my fellow Americans" enforcing the fact

During his Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy, makes an effort to motivate the world on January 20,1961 in Washington, DC. On this cold day, Kennedy makes it a point to unite the American people, by stating,” In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” This statement gives the American people the responsibility of its success or failure, as America and the Soviet Union were on the brink of war. While also stating,” Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” Kennedy sends a respectful but direct message to the Soviet Union here, although he hopes for peace he is not hesitant to use lethal force to defend his country. Kennedy’s use to appeals of emotion, and kairos gives his argument a strong imagery and emotion, therefore allowing this call to action to be so effective in uniting the world together.

As a President of the United States, one should be expected to hold a level of charisma and eloquence that can sway a nation for the better in trying times. The inaugural address of the 35th President John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961 is no such exception; orchestrating a symphony of emotion in words that would prove to be effective among the millions watching him – U.S. citizen or not. Kennedy’s inaugural address would be rhetorical hallmark in history, skillfully weaving a high intensity of pathos and logos throughout his speech, as well as making use of certain rhetorical strategies relating to repetition, rhetorical questions, and the types of diction he uses.