Rhetorical Analysis Of Lyndon B Johnson's Peace Without Conquest

In a time of strong American Values corresponding with the beginning of extensive government doubt, President Lyndon B. Johnson was faced with challenge many had encountered before him. Convincing the American people to hold up weapons is no easy task in itself, and Johnson additionally wished to convince his people to clasp weapons for a war that a multitude believed was not an American fight. In 1965 Johnson spoke at Johns Hopkins University with a speech he called “Peace Without Conquest” to sway the views of his fellow citizens. Throughout the course of his presentation, Johnson appeals to his audience through tapping into the subconscious thoughts of his people, which will likely make him effective in swaying the audience to believe in

Throughout his presentation, the use of personal pronouns continually sways an audience to feel a sense of unity. The use of the word “we” leaves Americans believing the selections made by the government were the choices they, as Americans, personally decided on. American’s are likely to not realize the use of “we” is leading them toward supporting the cause, which will make Johnson’s arguments more effective. Through making the spectators believe they are apart of the choices, his asking for support is less of a request. While Johnson may “always oppose the effort of one nation to conquer another nation”, (Johnson 132) the individuals in the group potentially could conflict. However, Johnson leads the audience to think it is what they believe to be proper through his use of “we”. If Johnson is able to create a sense of unity among the people without actually asking them to back him, he is likely to sway his listeners toward a united cause through tapping into the principle of American

The use of questions in this production forces the audience to develop their own opinion on issues. However, when Johnson asks these questions he is not allowing the American people a choice in the answer. While it may seem asking why the matter is “our concern” (Johnson 34) is an unbiased question, he goes on to tell the audience they “have a promise to keep” (Johnson 35). The audience essentially is not able to produce their own opinions. When Johnson asks the audience this question it is probable that in their mind they did not know why it is their concern, but when Johnson answered the question they are lead to conclude it was their own promise they personally completed. Therefor, the people could not formulate their own contemplations and instead they adopt the concepts of the president. Tapping into the emotions of humans through questions is an effective tactic that Johnson wisely uses. Through asking if we have done “all we could?” (Johnson 166) to help our world, Johnson nearly forces the answer he is looking for- all other responses would seem to be morally amiss. It is likely the use of bias questions was not recognized by most of the audience. When the audience is asked to formulate an opinion on the swayed question, they subconsciously answer precisely how the president desires them