Rhetorical Analysis Of President John F. Kennedy's Response To Steel Companies

President John F. Kennedy, in his response to steel companies raising prices by 3.5 percent in a time of financial crisis, asserts that these companies are not patriotic and care more for profits than the American people. In order to prove his point, Kennedy brings up the sorrows that the American people currently face and how there is absolutely no justification for this increase in prices. The purpose of this statement is to bring to light the wrongs of the steel companies in order to get the steel companies to lower their prices. Kennedy uses pathos, logos, and ethos to assert that a great injustice has befallen the American people, assuring them that he is on their side. Firstly, Kennedy uses the great tranquility that America currently faces to reassure the audience that their anger is

This imagery is used to make his empathy toward the audience clear and create a sense of unity among the American people, reassuring them that we are all in this together. Kennedy then uses logos to show that the steel companies' actions are uncalled for and unjust. He claims the price change is "widely acknowledged to be non-inflationary" (50) and that while the cost to create steel is falling, the price to buy it is rising. Kennedy makes these claims to expose the injustice that has befallen the American people. Kennedy uses logos to show the people of America that they have been wronged. Finally, Kennedy uses his ethos to assure the American people that action is being taken to counteract this evil. He does this by asserting that "The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission are examining the significance of this action in a free, competitive economy"