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Rhetorical Analysis Of Jfk Inaugural Address

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On a cold day in 1961, John F. Kennedy delivered a speech that will live on in fame, to unite everyone in the world. JFK did not use his close victory as a bragging point or talk about his crowd size, but he expertly crafted his speech to address the crowd in a tone of unity, and hope. His speech features a strong appeal not only to his ethics but our ethics as a country to come together. JFK also displays powerful emotion through his many call to actions to help the country. His implementation of logical arguments are used to convince the audience to take a stand and make a difference. Additionally, the use of a structurally and logically sound argument with powerful imagery and emotions used throughout the speech allows this call to action …show more content…

The 1960’s was a time on the verge of war, and Kennedy’s goal was to make his audience come together for the sake of the country. In one specific example, JFK uses allusion. An allusion is a literary device used to stimulate ideas and associations. JFK said, “Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah—to ‘undo the heavy burdens ... and to let the oppressed go free.’" In this instance, JFK references the Bible. This creates a sense of connection, on a religious level, and it also shows that JFK is a god fearing man, as many were religious during this time. Another way that JFK took an ethical approach to his speech was through his use of juxtaposition. A juxtaposition is the combination of two contrasting items often done deliberately to highlight their differences. Kennedy writes, “we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace.” In this case, Kenedy is comparing the generation of earlier violent times in America, when we were in the first revolution, to the generation of the 1960’s. Kennedy is saying that people need to move on from violence, hate, and war, and move on to the idea of

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