Rhetorical Analysis Of John F Kennedy's Speech

In his impassioned speech at a fundraising event for the Kennedy Library Foundation, Ronald Reagan described the sensational man that John F Kennedy was and the legacy that followed him. The event at which the speech was given was held under the premise of raising money to further support the presidential library, and Reagan made it a priority to recognize the admirable and important contributions Kennedy made to the entire world and pay tribute to a great figure in history. He prioritized the recognition of Kennedy’s character, actions, and impact that the audience would relate to and understand. His audience was the possible donors to the fund so it was important that they were aware of what Kennedy stood for and what he contributed to society

The repetitive structure of the sentences throughout the speech makes it easier for the audience to grasp exactly what Reagan is trying to convey. It is easy to get a feel for the type of person JFK truly was because Reagan’s sentence structure allows him to get directly to the point rather than leave the audience to sift through convoluted language and syntax. He tells the audience that “He was a writer…he possessed a delicate and refined appreciation for Boston’s political wards…he could cuss a blue steak…He loved history …He could quote Stephan Vincent….He loved mankind… He was a patriot… He believed in opportunity, growth, and action” DO I NEED A PARENTHETICAL HERE AND IS THIS EVEN RIGHT and paints a colorful picture of Kennedy that is hard to miss and something the audience can more easily connect to. Reagan does not see him as just a passing name in the history books, but rather as an important and complicated man, so he attentively includes all his traits in the tribute. He recognizes the playful, political, patriotic, joyful, passionate, and intelligent sides of Kennedy, and makes a valiant effort to represent exactly who Kennedy was to the world. The defining sides of Kennedy are not outer worldly or unattainable but are rather very humane and common traits that many audience members could

His reverent tone is woven through the entirety of his tribute in the way that he presents Kennedy to the audience as someone deserving of honor and respect. Using tone words throughout his speech helps the audience connect to what Reagan is saying and allows them to better understand what exactly is being said. Reagan respects him as a leader and says how “it is a matter of pride to me that so many men and women who were inspired by his bracing vision and moved by his call to ‘ask not’ serve now in the White House doing the business of the government.”(Reagan, 6). Since Reagan consistently used positive and admiring words when speaking about Kennedy, the audience would have also seen to respect Kennedy and his contributions to the nation because as the president, Reagan was seen as a credible source. Reagan also includes that he did not support Kennedy’s campaign at the time, but hindsight allowed him to realize how respectable Kennedy’s passionate and influential time his time in office was. This gives Kennedy even more credibility and respect because even though Reagan supported a different political party than Kennedy, he was sill able to recognize in front of the public that Kennedy’s “political fights were tough”, “he gave as good as he got, and you could see that he loved the battle” (Reagan, 8). Respect comes from admirable actions and ideas rather than simply