Juxtaposition In Jfk Inaugural Address

In his “Inaugural Address”, newly elected president, John F. Kennedy, juxtaposes time frames, contextualizes America’s prior history, and challenges the audience’s perspectives in order to spark change in his country, ultimately inspiring citizens to make a difference using his plan for action. First, Kennedy creates contrast of time through the use of juxtapositions in order to back up his argument and initiate change. Take, for example, how he mentions that, “we observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom- symbolizing an end as well as a beginning…” This contrast between time periods of republican rule versus democratic rule illustrates a shift of thinking in plans for America. By signifying the time, it is signifying change for the new era, inspiring the audience to support the ideas Kennedy has prepared. This also symbolizes the audience’s excitement to the change by using words like celebration and victory. This helps create positivity to the new “beginning” that is coming. The juxtaposition used in John F. Kennedy’s writing has strengthened his argument and

By mentioning that, “the world is different now… we are the heirs of that first revolution,” Kennedy is presenting the idea of change being in their blood, therefore it must occur. The reference to the past excites change to expanding ideas and inspires citizens to tread forward, not backward. Even though, “the same revolutionary beliefs… are still at issue around the globe,” there has still been improvement. The speaker mentions that so that it inspires the audience to want to spark change and maybe even fix issues that have been a problem for a long time. By creating allusions to the past, Kennedy is illustrating the country’s improvements, convincing them to continue the tradition and help better