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Jfk Inaugural Address Rhetorical Devices

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JFK Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Although John F. Kennedy begins his infamous inaugural speech by explaining his welcoming as president as being a celebration of freedom, he transforms it into a call for global unity, reaching not only the citizens of the United States, but of the world, which inspired American Citizens. By contemplating the problems restricting global unity, Kennedy addresses solutions to fix them, and how his proposed plan would not be completed within his term, but something to be worked for until it is achieved. During the time period in which Kennedy delivered his speech the country was in the midst of the Cold War with Russia. The American people needed a leader, and he was there to deliver. In the opening …show more content…

One such rhetorical device is consonance. Throught the middle part of Kennedy’s speech he refers to, “tyranny,” “liberty,” and the ever present “friend or foe.” The “friend or foe” reference really comes into play when Kennedy is calling for unity, and global peace. He also alludes to the Monroe Doctrine, which states that the United States will protect all of the Americas from further colonization. He recognizes this as saying the western hemisphere intends to be the, “master of it’s own house.” He also utilizes analogies, where in one part he describes a power-hungry fool riding the back of a tiger. John F. Kennedy also uses metaphors and alliteration to inspire and unite the American citizens. He emphasises the, “chains of poverty,” in hopes that he can show other countries that they have known their hardships. He also uses this metaphor throughout the speech to give the American people a stronger bond to his purpose. When he uses alliteration he is inspiring a new age for America, the space race initially. He says, “Explore the stars… eradicate disease… encourage the arts…” each inspiring the Americans to take

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He used rhetorical devices such as anaphora, parallel structure, and rhetorical questions to appeal to the listener and future reader’s sense of pathos. In Kennedy’s address to the nation, he used anaphora to trigger an emotional response from the listener. He gives the listener a sense of safety under his control, as he wants to “Let us begin anew--remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear.

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