Isabella Clark
Mrs. Kristen Saxhaug
English 10
4 March 2023 The Unimportance of Supremacy as a Theme in Thirteen Days
“Our goal is not the victory of might, but the vindication of right,” John F. Kennedy. During the Cold War, on October 26th The United States government was informed about nuclear weapons being built in Cuba on behalf of the Soviet Union. A small group of officials led by President John F. Kennedy called the Executive Committee spent the next 13 days deliberating and eventually selecting the most diplomatic solution of agreeing not to invade Cuba if the missiles were removed. Robert Kennedy is the author of the memoir and adds personal insight to the crisis as he was an important member of the Executive Committee and the
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Despite their apparent perfection, Robert Kennedy displayed a clear power imbalance within their family. The first example of this is that throughout the memoir Robert always refers to his brother as “the President” and never by name when he typically calls others by their last names. For example, Nikita Khrushchev was chairman of the Soviet Union’s Council of Ministers at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis but he was rarely addressed in the formal sense that President Kennedy was. Addressing his brother in such a formal tone shows how highly Robert thought of JFK. Calling JFK “the president” rather than his brother also hid their familial connection and created an opportunity for Robert to create a name for himself aside from his brother. Secondly, on page 20, when the executive committee was first shown photo evidence of the missiles Robert wrote that he had no idea what he was looking at and that he, “was relieved to hear later that this was the same reaction of virtually everyone at the meeting, including President Kennedy.” This once again shows the pedestal that Robert puts his brother on but it also shows that he thinks of himself as inferior to his brother. This is particularly through the sense of relief he felt when he realized that they both were confused by the images. Thirdly, on page 54, when the Executive Committee had been informed that a Russian submarine had moved into …show more content…
For example, on pages 26 and 27 he mentions that the president was not at every Executive Committee meeting because, as Robert Kennedy states, “Personalities change when the president is present, and frequently even strong men make recommendations on the basis of what they believe the President wishes to hear.” This implies that President Kennedy was aware that his rank harmed the productivity of those working with him and therefore disrupted their headway regarding creating a solution to the issue. Secondly, Robert Kennedy writes about Executive Committee meetings, “Everyone had an equal opportunity to express himself and to be heard directly. It was a tremendously advantageous procedure that does not frequently occur within the executive branch of the government, where rank is often so important” (36). Robert Kennedy goes as far as to criticize the functionality of his government to prove that working without rank was beneficial for the situation; hence implying that if there had been an apparent rank that their work would have been of lesser quality. Later in the memoir, it is stated that “During the Cuban missile crisis, the President not only received information from all the major departments, but went to considerable lengths to ensure that he was not insulated from individuals or points of view because of rank or position”
‘ JFK nonetheless asked yet again, “What impression do they get over there in the Kremlin, that we let this one go?”’ Stern knew that Kennedy was not always the picture perfect president. He felt that it was important for people to be able to see all sides of the president that he had come to love. Both the good and bad sides of JFK made him a president that was able to pull our country through the Cuban missile crisis.
INTRODUCTION This is a report intended to observe the falsifications found in the film JFK. As this movie is often found to a very popular film of an interpretation of John F. Kennedy’s death—as often found with historical films—JFK contains accurate historical facts, as well as many exaggerations used to create a better storyline. Oliver Stone’s film is often criticized for Jim Garrison’s findings, which are often debated as containing inaccurate information; however, the story has numerous factual errors of the Garrison investigation itself.
When it comes to describing such complex events as the Kennedy administration, one cannot understand the full picture through a single work. By combining different works of both fact and fiction, alongside motion pictures, one can gain a clearer interpretation of JFK’s presidency. Investigating Garry Wills’s The Kennedy Imprisonment alongside James Ellroy’s American Tabloid, one can develop a clearer picture of how the Kennedy administration functioned. The film Thirteen Days by Roger Donaldson brings to life the depiction presented in the two works.
Kennedy in his speech first classifies his audience, which is not only America but the world into five separate categories, “old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share,” “new States whom we welcome to the ranks of the free,” “people in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery,” “that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations,” and “nations who would make themselves our adversary” - and then later addresses how he plans to keep up relations and deal with the problems that have arrived or shall arrive. Kennedy then uses a beautiful analogy by describing Soviet Russia and how Russia pushes the communism to less developed and third world countries like Cuba by stating “those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside” President John F. Kennedy uses the facts of the cold war to create propositions to possibly mend the relations between the USA and Russia: “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms – and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all
This makes it difficult for the audience to side against the facts stated by Kennedy. This use of diction corresponds to the diligence and indignance of Kennedy’s tone. He emotionally connects to the audience by reaching towards those families hurt by the Vietnam War “servicemen to risk their lives-and four were killed in the last two days”. By not only bringing
On page thirty-five paragraph five the text states, “I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.” Robert F. Kennedy wants the audience to believe all that he says and he does so by developing credibility. Robert F. Kennedy is credible because he lost his brother to an assassin, as African Americans have lost Martin Luther King Jr. to an assassin. Robert F. Kennedy also uses the argumentative appeal of logos to support his argument.
Some may say that Kennedy was the direct cause of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The assassination of J.F.Kennedy was unjust because he was an American war hero and he also helped make alliances with other countries;However some people may believe that Kennedy caused the Cuban Missile crisis. Kennedy was wrongfully killed because people looked up to him as an American Hero. People tended to go to Kennedy for fixing any national crisis or problem. For instance, the author explains “The essay begins with an examination of how, even before reaching the White House, Kennedy was able to develop a multi-faceted image as a man of letters (with the publication of Why England Slept and Profiles in Courage), military hero (through his service in the Navy during the Second World War), precocious politician,
Kennedy said that they could just blow up the missile bases in Cuba, but this, without a doubt, would start a destructive war which would affect not just the US and the Soviet Union, but the whole war. In a speech to the American people, John F. Kennedy said that Cuba had nuclear missiles provided by the USSR, but he already had a plan to make Cuba and the Soviets get rid of the nuclear missiles (2). Therefore, those missiles were putting in check the US because if Cuba ever decided to launch one of the missiles on the US this would cause massive destruction wherever they fall and will lead to the start of the first nuclear war, causing a lot of destruction and suffering around the world. In an entrevista from Dobrynin Cable to the Soviet Foreign Ministry, Robert Kennedy said that the military was demanding President John F. Kennedy responded to fire with fire and blew up the missile bases in Cuba, but he, R. Kennedy genuinely believed that this was a terrible idea because if this would ever occur the Soviets would undoubtedly do the same to the US, somewhere in Europe, starting a real war (4).
John F. Kennedy was known for his charming, charismatic, and relatable personality which significantly attributed to him winning the presidency in 1960. These admirable characteristics of his were easily seen in his speeches as U.S. senator and as president, in which it was apparent he not only had the charm, but also incorporated his personal values into his administration as a public servent. One speech in particular which highlights this fact is his “City Upon a Hill” speech. John F. Kennedy’s “City Upon a Hill” speech was given on Jan. 9th 1961 as his final speech prior to being sworn in as president, which he delivered to the general court of Massachusetts. In this speech, Kennedy compared the impending challenges of his presidency to the troubles facing the first Puritan settlers of Massachusetts in the 1600's in John Winthrop’s original “city upon a hill” speech.
His diction is very inclusive; he commences his speech with several uses of the words ‘we’ and ‘our’, which makes way for inclusivity. JFK is blurring the distinction between citizen and superior governor by including the people in his proclamation. While describing the hardships and challenges that the country is facing, Kennedy mentions how imperative the occasion is on a global level; in the midst of the Cold War, he reminds his audience of the importance of uniting. Through the use of the lexical field of danger — words such as: ‘defiance’, ‘serious’, ‘risk’, and ‘sacrifice’ — he creates a feeling of tension and urgency, and engages his audience to the concern. To conclude his speech, the President mentions self-guilt on the part of the country on how they had not displayed the “sense of business responsibility” that they should have, a rhetorical strategy that approximates the audience to the government.
Kennedy’s speech was influential because of the three main aspects were executed so successfully. He informed them about what the missiles were like, what they were capable of, and the steps America and several other countries would take in retaliation to the nuclear weapons in Cuba. He conveyed pathos through his words of compassion towards the Cuban captives and feeling for their pain. He asserted his feelings of confidence of the United States and his firmness of not backing down; the country would go to war if they must. Structure was punctualized by having three main topics, all paragraphs are the same length, with the exception of three small
This piece is a collection of interview by numerous individuals who experienced the event first hand. The article includes quotes and stories from individuals such as Kennedy’s daughter, his colleagues, and world famous poet Robert Frost. Those interviewed shared a variety of memories. Kennedy’s daughter Kathleen-- who was nine years old at the time-- remember’s being too short to see around the adults surrounding her, “I scooted up to see what I could on a small TV”. A few others included memory of the inclimate weather, cold and dreary.
On April 4, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was in Indianapolis for a campaign stop, when he received news that Martin Luther King was killed, causing Kennedy to write and deliver a speech regarding the assassination. This speech was succinct but not only was it about the assassination, it was also to tell the people there is still wisdom and hope in this time of turmoil. To reach this purpose, he first builds up his ethos, uses pathos to add mood and hope, and unifies the people. The combination of these elements makes it a very powerful and memorable speech. Robert F. Kennedy builds his credibility by relating his personal experience and knowledge of what the audience is feeling to the current events.
John F Kennedy was a level headed, determined and well accomplished person. During his short-lived presidency, he had to take on challenges like no other and did it with sophistication and grace. From conflicts involving other countries, like Vietnam, to the Civil Rights Movement that directly affected our own country, Kennedy continued to take each problem day by day until there was an overall improvement or resolution. It would be safe to say that he is one of the more progressive presidents our country has ever seen. David Burner’s John F. Kennedy and a New Generation was written with the sole purpose of giving an insight into Kennedys upbringing and presidency in an entirely unbiased approach.
The Bay of Pigs ‘damaged US relations with foreign nations enormously” and “encouraged Khrushchev’s adventurism” resulting in increased Cold War tensions that demanded the President’s full