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A Rhetorical Analysis Of Jfk Inaugural Address

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Elijah Lay Mrs. Wagner US HIST 1102 Apr 28, 2023 3 Analysis of JFK Inaugural Address The Election of 1960 was full of firsts, the presidential debates of the election of 1960 were the first to be televised and broadcasted to national television. The election was also one of the closest in American history since 1916. During the election, the tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were reaching a climax, and America needed a strong president. Ironically, Kennedy was not viewed by the public as such a candidate. Many Americans viewed Kennedy as inexperienced because of his youth. However, Kennedy’s youth would be a pivotal factor in transforming the 1960s into a “New Frontier”. On a bitterly cold January day, JFK delivered …show more content…

JFK presents this idea by developing ideas like freedom all across his address. “The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.” JFK believes that the individual freedoms of man are not supposed to be touched by and are not created by the government. Through this statement JFK is affirming that the protection of these individual rights should be a keystone to America. “The same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe” Kennedy furthers the affirmation that individual rights should be protected by referencing the founding fathers who had constructed the United States government around the idea of individualized rights. While making this reference he states that individual rights is still something that people around the world still have to fight for. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, 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.” JFK includes this to show that America is willing to fight for individualized rights and freedoms. He believes that individualized rights are so important that they are worth “bearing any burden” and are worth “[opposing] any …show more content…

“We pledge our best efforts to help them [other nations] help themselves, for whatever period is required, not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right.” The purpose for JFK adding that it should be the responsibility of the United States to promote peace and democracy is because he believes that it is essential to use the power that the United States has to promote good well being all around the world. The argument is presented in the inaugural address by JFK saying that America is willing to “Support any friends” and “meet any hardship" to protect the individual rights of people everywhere. By pledging that, it makes it apparent how important it was to JFK that it is the responsibility of the United States to be the protector of those

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On a cold January day in 1961, 20,000 people gathered to listen to a speech that would be remembered years later. John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address projected youth and vigor to inspire his audience, not only those people present but people who listened all around the world. What made his speech so thought evoking and effective was his skill at applying schemes such as parallelism, antimetabole,and anaphora to create a sense of unity between his audience and furthermore the United States and other nations. Moreover he appealed greatly to ethos, logos, and pathos, making his speech personal and persuasive to his audience. Speaker, audience, and context are important in this speech.

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John F. Kennedy implements parallelism in order to construct his ideas about what the country must begin to do in the future. Near the start of his address he proclaims, “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, or oppose any foe,”(5) in order to continue to thrive as a nation. His use of parallelism in clauses proves his desire to prove that liberty and

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He lets America know that he takes the same oath his forefathers took to uphold the constitution and liberty, along with the fact he is a Christian man. In this time, Christianity was very popular, and by letting the people know that he had those values, helped people become patriotic in his cause. Kennedy also makes emotional appeals by saying such things like “To those people in huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break to bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves”, and “If the free society cannot help the many who are poor, it can never save the few who are rich”. It made people feel connected to the cause, and includes every angle from here in America, to people across the world

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“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the world of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger” (para. 25). Kennedy reminds the citizens of America of their ancestors, and what they did for this country years ago. Kennedy claims that it is this generation's time to rise and follow the path our grandparents took, and become and stronger, united,

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Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) are among the most beloved presidents in United States history. Both Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech and Kennedy’s inaugural address analyze the state of the country and express their hopes for freedom, however, Roosevelt’s speech points out the need to prepare for the war, whereas Kennedy’s speech points out the need to come to an agreement before another war begins. These differences can be seen when analyzing the historical context, the purpose of their speeches, and their views on freedom. Both men delivered their speeches when the country was at the brink of war. FDR was facing the threats of another world war.

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Also, he is stating to never be afraid and figure out ways to face them. By doing this, Kennedy left a greater impact on people by making his speech more

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Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech was delivered in 1941 while John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address was released in 1961. These speeches were given at critical times in the history of the United States and the world and each describes the need for the preservation of freedom and unity of Americans and people around the world. However, The fact of being given at different times in history causes variations in the purposes of each speech. The U.S. presidents' views and beliefs differ on how to preserve freedom and who to unite with. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech and John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address have many similarities and differences.

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With the use of repetition, its ability is to make the audience truly think about what JFK is asking of America. He uses this strategy throughout his speech especially at the beginning of his sentences. He used phrases like, “Let both sides … Let both sides … Let both sides …” … puts an emphasis on unity once again”. In the speech we can tell he really care about what he was

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John F. Kennedy was the eloquent speaker that inaugurated his presidency with an excellent, well-developed speech that presented his initiative for his presidential term and introduced his motivation to make a positive change for the future of America. The speech was communicated on January 20th, 1961, from a platform erected at the east front of the capital (John F. Kennedy, “Inaugural Address”). This powerful speech can be best examined and evaluated by analyzing in depth the speaker’s personal characteristics, directed audience, central message, and occasion. John F. Kennedy had diverse personal characteristics that enhanced his speech and allowed him to make a connection with the audience and correctly deliver his message. It is evident

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but what together we can do for the freedom of man,” (Kennedy 286). Kennedy believes freedom means that each person has to contribute to give freedom to all. Everyone has to work together to be free. Both the inaugural address and the “Four Freedoms” Speech speak about the threat at hand

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The 20th century was a time of great uproar and transformation, with world wars and the Cold War reshaping global politics and society. Two speeches delivered by American presidents during this time, Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" speech and John F. Kennedy's inaugural address expresses the hopes and fears of their time. FDR delivered his speech when the United States was on the edge of entering World War II, while JFK's address in 1961 came at the start of the Cold War. Both speeches address the concept of freedom, they do so in different ways, reflecting the thoughts and goals of the two presidents. In this essay, I will argue that while both speeches express a commitment to freedom, FDR's "Four Freedoms" speech focuses on the cooperation

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Basically, Kennedy is saying that America is not going to stand by while other countries are in the hands of evil. America is going to stand its ground to world bullies in order to make the world a better and safer place. Writing in Newsweek, Eleanor Clift suggests, “Fifty years after Kennedy’s inauguration, the memories that linger remind us of a time when all seemed possible” (Clift 4). Clift is insisting that even though Kennedy is no longer here with us, his legacy is influencing the world to be a more peaceful place still lives on, as is the lack of people worrying about the effects of

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Nuclear war was now a possibility and it frightened the general public. In his speech, Kennedy begins by establishing the fact that the world is now entering a new era. He exclaims the importance of protecting our democracy and how it is vital for this country to remain united as modern times are approaching. Then he says his famous line about how “the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God” and it’s now our (the new generation’s) responsibility to maintain that (Kennedy 1961).

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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 -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage” (1961). The second part consist of the many pledges he stated which are to assure success of liberty, remain loyal to his allies, lift people from poverty and free them, oppose aggression and impose peace and to unify the world. He emphasizes the theme of unification furthermore by speaking of our shared ethics, values and moral also our mutual

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Through this paragraph, JFK wanted to convince the new countries and the country which still not own liberty, that the America will respect their right of freedom and the America encourage all of them to preserve freedom. The repetition makes JFK’s speech full of energy and passion, which means that the new countries are easily to be influenced by JFK’s emotion and accept what he

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