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Rhetorical Analysis Of Kennedy's Inaugural Address

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Focusing on the historical backdrop of the cold war between the Soviet Union and the United States, newly-elected President John F. Kennedy gave his first inaugural address on January 20th of 1961. Kennedy was the youngest man ever elected to be president and was a new, untested, leader which caused the people of the United States to divide over his election. Throughout Kennedy's speech he portrayed two different purposes one being obvious and one being subtle. His first purpose was to give his vision of what the next four years were to be like and his second purpose was to inspire a new generation of americans to come together and create a new level of commitment to the nation as a whole. Kennedy uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to convey his idea to the world and achieve his purpose. One rhetorical device that Kennedy uses to achieve his purpose is rhetorical questions. For example in paragraph 25 he says “And so my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.” and then he follows this quote again saying “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” When Kennedy …show more content…

Kennedy was different, he was all about liberty and unity throughout the whole world so he uses anaphora to help emphasize to his audience that he wants what's best for every single person, not just a specific group of people. For example Kennedy uses “to those” addressing many people from the poor to the other countries we’ve had past conflict with. By doing this he unifies the world and convinces them that it is possible for everyone to come together and share equal rules to change the world for the best. Another example where Kennedy uses anaphora is when he repetitively says “let both sides” this shows his aspiration for peace and unity through the

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