JFK 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.

Lincoln chooses to make certain religious allusions in his speech, in an attempt to unify the divided country around a common central concept: religion. Lincoln makes such references to religion to confirm others beliefs, and assure them that God stands with them, even in such a difficult time. To show sympathy towards African Americans, and to unify them with the others in the country, Lincoln states, “Both read the same bible, and both pray to the same God.”

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.

Language plays a crucial role in the development of power. Famous personalities in the United States use rhetorical devices to emphasize a specific point and make it clear to the audience. President Thomas Jefferson is a Democratic-Republican and won the election of 1800. In 1801 he presented his inauguration speech and was significant because it was the first time in the history when the power shifted from one party to the other. Martin Luther King, Jr. served as an American minister and played an active role in the civil rights movement. John F. Kennedy delivered his speech during his inauguration in order to develop relations with the Soviet Union and end Cold War. All the speeches were delivered by most known personalities and made use of rhetorical devices such as allusion and repetition to make their message memorable in the hearts of the citizens of America.

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.

Kennedy’s speech was one of inspiration and hope. He wanted to win the confidence of his citizens by delivering a short speech filled with noble ideals (Matheson 11). President Kennedy starts his inaugural address by exclaiming his understanding that America was very different from that of the nation’s predecessors. The President also wanted to send out a warning to all other nations by letting them know that with him as commander-in-chief, America would “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and success of liberty”(Kennedy 609). Basically he was stating that he would not think twice about using all possible forces in order to preserve peace and prosperity for the United States. He further goes on to offer his support to developing countries by pledging to help them help themselves but with a special stipulation. He warned these nations to not lean on America’s success but to form their own freedom when he stated, “remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought to find power by riding on the tiger’s back inevitably ended up inside” (Kennedy 609). Of all the very remarkable things that this president stated the thing that resonated with me was his backing of the United Nations which would have ultimately dissolved had we not given our support. As stated earlier, our nation was in an atomic war with the Soviet Union and the citizens of the United States were

President Abraham Lincoln orated a powerful persuasive speech in his Second Inaugural Address, just one month before the end of the Civil War. This speech shed light to his contemplation of the effects of the Civil War and provided his vision for the future of the nation. Lincoln’s address was written through a logical theme that focused on the unity of the country. He used religion, specific diction, and flat-out logical thinking to convey his message. The speech was given as the Civil War was ending, and President Lincoln wanted to provide a bit of light in a very dark time. He could have given the lengthy speech that the audience expected; but instead, he gave a short message of unity that fueled the United States for years to come.

Lincoln states, “Both read the same bible” and “pray to the same God”, is interpreting that both the North and the South shared similar beliefs, such as the bible and God, that there is only one God that the people worship. Lincoln then goes off and says “woe unto the world because of offenses… but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.” He has now made a reference to the bible, that the nation is now corrupt and is doing wrong, which later also stating that “American slavery” is the reason America has become this way. By referring back to the bible, what many people know, love and live their lives from what it says really touches the people emotions and makes them believe of the wrong that they have caused.

On the same token, Lincoln pointed out that both sides looked for the easy route to the victory, both parties read the same Bible, and prayed to the very same God, and both asked God to help them in triumphing over the other. Here is where Lincoln brings in the argument: “If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him?” He challenged his people by forcing them to silently look within themselves in order to reflect on how true and synonymous they were without being outrageous.

Kennedy’s speech, he has a central goal, which is the most important part. His central goal of the speech was to unify the Nation to deal with its upcoming challenges it would face in the future. In the speech, JFK states his central idea in the beginning third paragraph. He first unifies the Nation by saying, “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,” and this statement unified the nation after a hard election by joining both sides of the political fence. Then, he proceeds to outline the second part of the central idea that the united Nation is enduring difficult times and must preserve its American values as he states, “born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.” In this line, he

We know that Lincoln planned his speech because he explains how he gave much thought to what he wanted to speak about during his second inaugural address in his introduction. He felt stating a plan of action would be unnecessary and that simply stating the war's already well known progress would be redundant because there wasn’t new information to be presented. His speech is responsive to a political unresolved controversy, the war, and is the main topic of his speech. Lincoln attempts to persuade his audience that the war was inevitable and that there was nothing anyone could do to prevent it. He accomplishes this through arguments, appeals, arrangements, and aesthetics. His arguments are that the war could not be prevented, both sides pray to the same god so it is impossible for him to pick a side to support. He appeals to logos, by stating facts that are inarguable and ethos by expressing religious values. His speech is arranged chronologically, starting by saying why the war started, and ending with how he would wish the war would conclude, making it easy to follow along. Lastly, he makes allusions to the bible to add beauty and symbolic expression. He adapts the content of his address by keeping the values of his audience, the American people in mind. Religion was a very important value at the time, so he uses allusions to the bible to connect with his audience. Lincoln directly quotes from the bible to explain that the war will end once God believes that the slaves have been avenged and that it was God's will that the war began and there was nothing he or anyone else could've done to prevent it. His rhetoric reveals his motive to build consensus, and a peaceful coexistence once the war

One of the best inaugural addresses was delivered by John F. Kennedy the day he was sworn into office as president of United States on January 20, 1961. From that speech Kennedy’s famous line was born, when Kennedy (1961) said: “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” (Kennedy, 464). John F. Kennedy wasn’t just an active advocate for civil rights, but he strongly believed in the citizens of America by seeing that the citizens had more to offer by unifying together for the country. In the speech he talks about important topics America was facing. Mentioning, that the country had to be united together to become a strong force, about poverty, man’s(human) rights , foreign countries joining America and of course, about peace. Religion was also used as an illusion of security, and showing that he was a capable leader able to lead America. John F. Kennedy wanted to inspire the citizens of America to hope for the future, but not just the people of America but also the citizens around the globe.

President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address is considered by many to be one of the best inaugural speeches in American history. I found the speech to be gripping, thought-provoking and very rousing. Aside from the speech being incredibly well written, I was also fascinated by its historical context. The speech itself truly captures Kennedy’s vitality and determination as he addresses in particular a ‘new generation of Americans’.

John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, has become one of the most famous presidents in the nation's history due to his oratory skills and eloquence (Biane,2011). In this paper, we present an analysis the inaugural speech that he delivered in January 1961. Even though his Inaugural speech lasted less than fifteen minutes, the message that he saliently delivered was one that has continued to resonate in the very hearts of American citizens.

Ceremonial speeches are given to mark ceremonial events and help a society move beyond their differences. John F. Kennedy gave a ceremonial speech, his inaugural address, on January 20th, 1961, marking one of the most historic speeches in time. In John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address speech, that is being evaluated today, the author uses social cohesion as a call for the nation to give back to the country, as we should do of course, and to ask, and expect less from the government, but that we should all have equal rights. Social Cohesion is described as the words, values, goals, speeches, and ceremonies that glue a group or society together and serve to maintain social order. John F. Kennedy uses