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John F Kennedy Inagrial Address Essay

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In 1961 America was facing a situation that it had never faced before; being less advanced than other world powers technologically, allowing them to pose a deadly threat against the American people. Since 1947 America had been in The Cold War against the Soviet Union, each country growing stronger in order to compete with the other. Due to the tension between America and the Soviets, and the fact that the 1960 election was very close, there was a lot of distress among the American people about their new leader.In his inagrial address, Kennedy is faced with the task to prove his ligitmacy as a leader to the American public. During his speech, Kennedy addresses the entire world while also specifically acknowledging certain countries and groups of people who are important to America. He does this in order to unite the country and the world against America's adversaries. In President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech he stands up in a time of conflict to express the nation’s need for unity in order to defend the people of the world. Kennedy had just …show more content…

JFK says, “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” This chiasmus emphasizes the need for unity among the countries of the world in order to improve the status of human rights. Kennedy shows that it is a time to unite as a country and as a world, it is an opportunity to defend freedom across the globe and the world needs to provide an adequate response to the issues around the world. At this time, so many world powers were advancing so much, and Kennedy proposes that instead of creating new technology for the use of destruction, countries should come together, combining their new technologies in order to make the world a better

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The following speech by President Kennedy’s inaugural address, 1961 was a bold assertion of his confidence and his ability to lead the nation in a new direction. Kennedy made bold foreign policy declarations. President Kennedy’s speech was amazing because the audience was attentive. During Kennedy’s speech he spoke with clear voice and a volume appropriate for the audience. He kept his eyes on the audience as he spoke.

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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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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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Top 100 Rhetorical Speeches: John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address In 1945, World War Two ended with the unconditional surrender of the Japanese Empire. In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed by ten European nations, the United States of America, and Canada in order to organize a united front against the Soviet threat. In 1955, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union signed the Warsaw Pact as a communist counter to the capitalist NATO. In 1961, in the midst of a heated cold war, John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) stood in front of the nation and delivered his inaugural address as the 35th president of the United States of America (USA).

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As the speech progresses, Kennedy continually refers to the words of the “Soviet Government” (2). The author’s repeated use of the phrase, “I quote” (2), as he addresses the nation proves the earlier statements, in light of the current events, as lies. Kennedy goes onto mention “Mr.Gromyko” (2), who spoke to him personally regarding the Cuban situation. As Gromyko’s statements are later revealed as false, Kennedy provides the nation with an individual to view as the enemy and not only the abstract concept of the Soviet Union. The author also recalls the lessons the “1930s taught” as he alludes to the atrocities committed and warns of their reoccurrence with the hesitation of uniting to take action against the Soviets (3).

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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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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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Kennedy can see that the country is afraid of the future that will present itself after the Cold War and beyond. It is clear that with war and chaos, it is easy for citizens of the world to turn into their own beliefs and stray away from each other. When using antithesis, Kennedy juxtaposes what being divided or united can do for all citizens. Starting his speech, JFK states, “United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do (Kennedy 1)…”

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John F. Kennedy uses literary devices to capture the attention of the audience, sets himself equal to his audience getting their attention and support, and uses the christian religion to strike the emotions and gain the support of his audience. Kennedy uses many literary devices to catch the attention of his audience. One of these devices is repetition. One example of repetition that Kennedy uses is, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.

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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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In John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address (1961), Kennedy determinedly argues that because mankind has the potential to cause change in the world, that the world should collaborate to solve issues around the world. Kennedy supports this overarching claim by illustrating the responsibility that America is to take on and by exemplifying the roles other nations are to have in this movement. Kennedy’s purpose is to earn the approval and trust of the United States citizens and unite the world in this multilateral effort of bettering the world. The audience of Kennedy’s Inaugural Address includes the citizens of the United States as well as countries around the world including Russia. John F. Kennedy backs up his overarching claim by illustrating the

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Delivering the speech, Kennedy expressed compassionate and hopeful words to his audience. His view of freedom is something that makes its way through peace and negotiation. Kennedy states, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us” (16). This is a perfect example of Kennedy’s meaning towards freedom. He wants all nations to look at the things that join them together and can relate to rather than the things that guide them away from each other.

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In this momentous speech, Kennedy must persuade his fellow Americans that the best way for mankind to operate is to create a sense of peace and togetherness. He asks the citizens of the United States, “Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort? “ JFK realized that if he can bring together all nations, it would be a monumental landmark in history and could bring world peace, an idea long lost in history, back to the people. Kennedy uses a rhetorical questions to call upon man’s instinct to be known and go down in

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Indeed, President John F. Kennedy could be considered as one of the mightiest world leader ever because he guided not only the American people, but also people throughout the world to realize why he was so concerned about unity at that time. Besides, the United States of America had been acknowledged as a world-class leader in furthering this value to other regions and also, countries. It was very essential to attain unity during the time to gain peacefulness despite of the differences in religions and races as well as to improve relations with other

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