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Pathos In Jfk Speech

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During his 1968 campaign for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Robert F. Kennedy took an unpredictable approach in his political address as he spoke to the people of Indianapolis, Indiana. Just a few hours prior to his campaign speech, Kennedy was informed of the death of black rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. This tragic news had not yet properly been announced to the general public, with Kennedy’s remembrance speech being one of the first public announcements informing Americans of King’s assassination. As he broke this sudden news to the audience, Kennedy sparked feelings of disbelief and outrage among citizens, while emotionally identifying with their sense of discouragement. By immediately opening up his speech to the crowd with this shocking news, the politician uses strategies of pathos, taking his …show more content…

At the end of his address, he returns back to the poet’s words, as he tells the crowd to “dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago” and “to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.” With a dramatic and polarizing word choice, it is difficult for the audience to disagree with Kennedy presented ideologies and therefore leave a feeling of empowerment and support for the candidate. In his statement honoring Martin Luther King Jr, Kennedy takes a humble approach in asking Indianapolis to come together as one to improve “the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings who abide in our land.” By opening his audience’s emotional wounds and filling the cracks all in one short sitting, Kennedy now takes his supporter’s newfound comfort and shoves it along to advocate for a change in America, specifically one that includes voting for him as Democratic candidate for the presidential

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