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Rhetorical Analysis Of John F Kennedy's Inaugural Address

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An inaugural address is a speech classically given to begin a leader's presidency. Throughout modern presidencies, these speeches have had many similarities from the gravitas they're spoken with to their honorable acknowledgment of America's history. Though these speeches have many similarities, the individuality within the president's personalities and their circumstances dictate the purposes behind their speeches. John F. Kennedy's speech was forged by the weight of war and a divided nation. The turbulence in the country was in part due to his electoral victory. Kennedy aimed to garner the trust of those yet to support him. He manages to win needed favor through different rhetorical strategies while also instilling enough trust to persuade them towards his ideas. This great leader had an idea of how to mend his turbulent country. He planned to unite America towards civil duty through inspiration and hope. With this plan in mind, he called on his fellow Americans everywhere "to assure the survival and success of liberty." …show more content…

Kennedy understood his nation was divided. From the fractures of war to the disarray his very election caused. The closeness of his victory ensured he had half a nation to win over. Therefore, before he could present his vision for this nation he had to make assurances to his audience. How could he persuade his audience to place their trust in him and his ideas? With that question in mind, he begins his speech using parallelism. He tells his audience they should think of his nomination as a symbol of freedom instead of a victory, "..symbolizing an end as well as a beginning — signifying renewal as well as change." In doing this he juxtaposes renewal with change, assuring those in his audience that are reluctant to change, in an almost appealing way. This leaves the audience ready to place their trust in him and open to

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