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John F Kennedy Inaugural Speech Analysis

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Kennedy’s Inauguration Then & Now: A Comparative Analysis
The inauguration of John F. Kennedy was and remains today a dynamic and emotional event which profoundly shaped America and its future. The inaugural speech itself is credited with ushering in an era of global change, rising from a divided America in the midst of real world issues surrounding the Cold War and other international tensions. A speech of American pride and glory as well as of slight threat and caution to those seeking to topple it, it demonstrates the vigor with which Kennedy’s presidency began. This vigor is mirrored in Eleanor Clift’s “Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration, 50 Years On”, which instead focuses on the happenings of the inauguration day. Clift sews details about …show more content…

This is seen in Kennedy’s inauguration speech as he issues the pledges America will make to the world, specifically “to those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery.” To these people, he pledged America’s “best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required (Kennedy)”. The spirit of aid and compassion expressed in Kennedy’s statements make his peaceful hopes for the less fortunate people of the world clear. Being the newly elected leader of the most powerful nation on the planet, Kennedy’s power is immense, and as is his responsibility towards the globe and its peoples. Through his empathetic declaration, Kennedy makes his harmonious desires for the world evident. These feelings of harmony are mirrored throughout Clift’s article in the form of formal and informal stories, which are summed up as “the memories that linger remind [them] of a time when all seemed possible, when a politician could capture the imagination of a country (Clift)”. Clift’s reminiscence emphasizes her wistful sentiments regarding the day Kennedy was inaugurated. Similar to Kennedy’s peaceful goals for his speech, Clift’s purpose is to present an impactful recollection of the day as it unfolded, mishaps and all, in a peaceful manner. Her tale lends itself to this purpose, and her use of calming diction and imagery intertwines eloquently with

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After a narrow win, President Kennedy takes the stage and presents the goals for his presidency in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961. Americans and audiences around the world listen as Kennedy inspires people to move past a difficult time in history and work together to create a better country. He begins with juxtaposition, in which Kennedy contrasts “an end, as well as a beginning.” The end symbolizes an end to past adversity, and the beginning symbolic of moving on to start fresh.

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In his speech Kennedy uses different rhetorical devices to unify the citizens of both the United States and the world. Kennedy was giving this speech after winning by a very small margin of votes so he was trying to unite the people of the United States and show he was the correct choice for the president. This speech was given during the Cold War so he was trying to connect the people around the whole world and establish peace. Kennedy was able to unify the people and try to establish peace while at the same time making himself seem like a very competent leader. In his speech Kennedy tries to build his credibility as a personable leader by creating ethos.

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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.

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Kennedy wisely sticks to using pathos throughout his entire speech, rather than relying on his then-minimal ethos or allowing his stirring speech to become bogged down by logos represented by the dull facts and figures of statistics. As a very young President just starting his first term, Kennedy lacks the reputation and reliability that an older, more experienced politician might have available. While it is true that most of the nation had seen him on television during the Nixon-Kennedy Presidential debates, those debates were the near-total of the people’s exposure to the dashing young President, and a pretty face does not a solid political reputation make! However, no matter how dashing and heroic he might have appeared to be in those

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562 Words | 3 Pages

Leaders like Kennedy are born from their wish to lead the country in the right place. He has done good while he was in office. John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address of 1961 harbored his greatest speech. “Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration, 50 Years On”, an article by Eleanor Clift, gives us a description of the inauguration, this along with the image “Inauguration of John F. Kennedy”, by the United States Army Corp, shows us the impact of John F. Kennedy had. John F. Kennedy’s speech was powerful to be able to show us his goals and beliefs.

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1141 Words | 5 Pages

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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966 Words | 4 Pages

During his 1968 campaign for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Robert F. Kennedy took an unpredictable approach in his political address as he spoke to the people of Indianapolis, Indiana. Just a few hours prior to his campaign speech, Kennedy was informed of the death of black rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. This tragic news had not yet properly been announced to the general public, with Kennedy’s remembrance speech being one of the first public announcements informing Americans of King’s assassination. As he broke this sudden news to the audience, Kennedy sparked feelings of disbelief and outrage among citizens, while emotionally identifying with their sense of discouragement.

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The power of persuasion is one that has proved its influence all throughout the history of humanity, convincing the masses to think as one body. This talent is not without practice or order however, even those talented with influence must be organized and eloquently sew their words together to prove a point. Only arguments that can appeal to all are able to be successful. In President John F. Kennedy’s Speech “Peace Speech”, examples of Aristotle's Modes of Persuasion are used. Kennedy uses the appeal of his credibility (Ethos), emotion (Pathos), and logic (Logos) to support his argument against war.

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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.

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John F. Kennedy discusses and analyzes on how the nation differs from the past and present day in that time period. Kennedy narrators on the division and war in the the world to appeal to the audience patriotism by using pathos and logos. In this speech President Kennedy states “to thoses who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request; that both sides begin the quest for peace, before the dark power of destruction unleashed.” He uses this quote to obtain a logical appeal to the appeal to the people. Kennedy uses logos to show that he wants the nation to come together and be humble together in one peace.

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593 Words | 3 Pages

Kennedy often sets himself equal to his audience, as if saying that he is no better than anybody else, gaining their respect and support. For example in Kennedy’s inaugural speech, he states, “ United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures.” In this Kennedy is placing himself in the same category as his audience and saying that he needs them, just as much as they need him. Another example of Kennedy setting himself equal to his audience is, “ In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” In this statement, John F. Kennedy is saying that the people of America, united, have more power than him.

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580 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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602 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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442 Words | 2 Pages

Robert Kennedy’s speech was given during a campaign rally in 1968, he broke the news to a crowd of supporters that MLK had been killed. This speech was analyzed through a PDF copy of the text. The purpose of RFK’s speech is to inform the audience of MLK’s death, create a sense of comfort and calmness. RFK includes a quote from the poet Aeschylus

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“For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.” This quote from the 35th president of the United States set a precedent of greatness for our country. The man who set such a precedent was John F. Kennedy. A very persuasive and well-read man, when he gave his inaugural address, our nation and the world knew we were in good hands. JFK not only was well-read, he gave moving speeches.

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