In FDR’s first inaugural speech, he uses rhetoric devices such as tone, diction, and syntax to inspire the American public to have hope for the future and feel compelled to take action.
Roosevelt uses a very practical tone when giving his speech. He speaks openly about the trials the country is facing saying things like “We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. 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—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always
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The famous epistrophe “ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” is an effective device in inspiring change because it asks the audience to consider the status quo and consider how they might be thinking the wrong way about it. Besides the fun word play, an epistrophe forces an audience to think, which is exactly FDR’s intention. Later in his speech, FDR uses parallel syntax to emphasize that something can be done, saying "It can be helped by preventing realistically the tragedy of the growing loss through foreclosure of our small homes and our farms. It can be helped by insistence that the Federal, State, and local governments act forthwith on the demand that their cost be drastically reduced. It can be helped by the unifying of relief activities which today are often scattered, uneconomical, and unequal. It can be helped by national planning for and supervision of all forms of transportation and of communications and other utilities which have a definitely public character." His other devices like tone and syntax, he has set the stage and captivated his audience. The parallel syntax is important because it emphasizes his call to action, so when people go home they know what they are supposed to do with the knowledge they have been given. They know the means by which they are to change America. And in these ways, JFK uses rhetoric to inspire the American people to better America in the coming