How Is Chiasmus Used In Jfk Inaugural Address

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In John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, chiasmus was used on numerous occasions to further stress the underlying message. Chiasmus is a rhetorical device where key terms or phrases are reversed for an artistic effect, by means of ‘reverse’ parallelism. John F. Kennedy uses chiasmus in his speech when he says, “And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” The reversals of ‘your country’ and ‘you’ creates a dramatic flavour to his message, and plays well for a newly elected President who needed to stimulate approval ratings, with just 49.72% of the popular vote, versus Richard Nixon’s 49.55%. Chiasmus is used extensively in political speeches, as politicians use speeches to rally