Jfk Inaugural Speech Figurative Language

The 1960s in America was a decade where many problems occurred and much change was made. Some of those issues were racial segregation and foreign policy. Two of the most influential and inspirational people then were Martin Luther King Jr., and John F. Kennedy. King was an African American who fought for an end to racial segregation and was committed to this important issue. He delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech in August of 1963 in front of Washington D.C.’s Lincoln Memorial. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States and wanted a great way to improve relations with other nations. He delivered his presidential inaugural address in January of 1961 in Washington D.C. These two incredible speeches are both similar and different, in terms of whom the speeches were composed for, use of figurative language, and how the issues discussed continue to affect society today. Both speeches were aimed at different groups of people. Kennedy’s inaugural address being aimed at just the general public, and King’s being composed for both the general public and African American community. Kennedy was speaking specifically to the world as a whole in his

Both speeches use this, but King’s “I Have A Dream” speech uses much more figurative language than Kennedy’s inaugural address. For example, King uses “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” (Paragraph 6, Sentence 5). He also uses “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.” (Paragraph 10, Last Sentence). Although Kennedy uses some figurative language in his address, he did not use as much as King did. One example of Kennedy’s use of figurative language is “The world is very different now. For man holds in his hands the power to end all forms of human poverty. Man can also end all forms of human life.” (Paragraph 3, Sentences