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Rhetorical Analysis Of President Kennedy's Speech

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After a recession in 1962 steel companies decided to raise prices dramatically. Consequently, President Kennedy approached the steel companies and asked them to lower prices, but they continued to raise them. The steel company raised prices, therefore, America could not afford it with a war occurring. President Kennedy then held a press conference for the public, with many different rhetorical strategies, turn the American public against the steel companies. President Kennedy starts off his speech by accusing the steel companies of not caring about public and customer interest. To capture America 's attention Kennedy speaks about events that he knows are touchy to the American public to feel resent towards the steel companies. Said events are used to make the American public feel like victims that are already giving all that they receive and the steel companies just want to take more. Furthermore, basic economics tells you that if you raise the price of one inelastic good the price of other goods will escalate. Kennedy warns the public that if steel prices rise so will prices of other essential goods. Kennedy’s strategy is to scare the public into believing the lives they know could be in jeopardy because of the …show more content…

Kennedy states that every available penny is being spent to protect America. “Every dollar is needed for national security” Kennedy’s efforts to scare the American public were already working, but when he mentions that now their safety was at risk they really created an us against them mindset. Kennedy knows that Americans won’t like the fact that their safety was at risk because of a steel company and points it out dramatically to prove his point that they steel companies were doing more damage than

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In his 1962 speech, then-president, John F. Kennedy tactfully used emotionally charged diction and political allusion to publicly pressure steel executives and influence people to do the same in order to lower steel prices. Mr. Kennedy’s diction is carefully chosen to enable fear and a sense of urgency in the American people, as well as to specifically target steel executives in hopes of lowering the nation’s steel prices. This can be seen in instances such as, “... wholly unjustifiable and irresponsible defiance of the public interest” (Kennedy 5) and,”... at a time when every dollar is needed for national security and other purposes” (Kennedy 34-35). In these quotes, Mr. Kennedy demonstrates proficiency in communication and careful deliberation

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President Kennedy begins his speech by emphasizing how the steel industries affect the lives of American citizens. He appeals to the audience by including sentences such as "...when we are confronted with grave crisis in Berlin and Southeast Asia, when we are devoting our energies to economic recovery and stability, when we are asking Reservist to leave their homes and families for months on end, and servicemen to risk their lives- and four were killed in

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“The secret of being a bore is to tell everything,” as honored French writer, Voltaire, remarks. In this regard, President John F. Kennedy in his news conference on April 11, 1962 confronted the increased prices of steel from the nation’s largest steel companies despite calling for stable prices and wages multiple times. Through the use of a hypothetical situation, colorful listing, and a shift in focus from the steel controversy to the people, Kennedy is able to indirectly express his anger while simultaneously initiating a call-to-action, demanding a change in steel prices. During Kennedy’s speech, Kennedy implements a hypothetical situation, hinting at the impending doom the steel prices would lead to. Kennedy often uses the anaphora “it would” when describing the hypothetical scenario: “It

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He addresses the losses the people have to endure, "When we are devoting our energies to economic recovery and stability, when we are asking Reservists to leave their homes and families for months on end… at a time when restraint and sacrifices are being asked of every American", all while the steel companies profit off the people in this dark hour. President Kennedy finds this disgusting and calls for steel companies to take action. He asks them to think about the families they’re stealing from and how they could use the money elsewhere. He asks for them to think about the war and how they don’t need to make a steel monopoly off of the men that lose their lives on the battlefield. He asks them about America as a whole, and why they would think about profiting off the people as a whole in a time of

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John F. Kennedy, President at the time when the US was emerging from a recession, called for better wages and stable prices in an effort to help America get back on its feet. On April 11, 1962, Kennedy called for a conference, arguing that if steel prices continued to rise in the US, this would be detrimental to the country on all fronts. In this speech, directed at major steel companies, Kennedy adopts a tone that was intended to strike fear into all Americans, and he does this through logical explanations of what would happen to the economy, an appeal to his credentials as president of the United States, and the toll it would take on Americans nationwide. Kennedy starts by reminding the Americans of what national turmoil they have been through

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John F. Kennedy, gives a speech about the rise in prices in the steel industry, in which he argues that the industries raised prices with no thought of the American citizen. He first addresses the greed of the steel executives, then states the negative effect that it is having on the people of America. Kennedy's purpose is to confront this issue publicly in order to let the country know that he is aware of how it is affecting them, so that they might have some reassurance that they are not alone in this. Since the audience is the people of America, Kennedy develops a compassionate and personal approach so that they might be content with his speech. Kennedy uses multiple rhetorical strategies in his speech.

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President Kennedy has always been a good speaker and knows his ways with words. With the problem of the raise of steel prices, from 1962, he carefully chooses his words to appeal to the people's minds and opinions. He uses rhetoric techniques like ethos and pathos, but also uses tone, diction, and logos to help appeal to ethos. President Kennedy starts off by appealing to ethos using tones and examples of the daily lives of everyone.

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Also, he is stating to never be afraid and figure out ways to face them. By doing this, Kennedy left a greater impact on people by making his speech more

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Kennedy appeals to the citizen’s pathological need to eliminate conflict, solve problems indefinitely, and protect their rights. He does this type of persuasion to cause the people to react to his presidency positively. This speech was said during the Cold War, so people were on edge because of the impending battle, and he consoled the people with his confident diction. He outlines a “peaceful revolution of hope” that will help connect the neighboring countries and lower poverty rates (Kennedy). By saying “peaceful” he minimizes the fear of having a endless battle with the Soviet Union.

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He want the Americans to realize that the steel companies are greedy and heartless and does not care about them. Kennedy is scolding the steel companies because they are irresponsible and unjustifiable. Kennedy

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As President Kennedy enters office he gives an speech on the celebration of freedom; symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning of a new nation. Kennedy rises for the opportunity for persuasion after his inauguration has been addressed and he scarcely beats nixon. President Kennedy uses his authority for persuasion to bring the american people together under his power. The president uses the experience of war,poverty,and the desire for peace to develop an emotional appeal between the U.S and the world population. In this speech Kennedy uses ethos,pathos,logos,as well as other rhetorical devices to convince the audience.

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Kennedy often sets himself equal to his audience, as if saying that he is no better than anybody else, gaining their respect and support. For example in Kennedy’s inaugural speech, he states, “ United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures.” In this Kennedy is placing himself in the same category as his audience and saying that he needs them, just as much as they need him. Another example of Kennedy setting himself equal to his audience is, “ In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” In this statement, John F. Kennedy is saying that the people of America, united, have more power than him.

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The series of essays in the novel “Profiles in Courage” by John F. Kennedy all demonstrate the single, truly rare character trait of courage through the actions of senators. The story of Edmund G. Ross undoubtedly portrays courage by his collected and determined demeanor in voting to avoid national corruption through a single phrase. Kennedy, through writing, is able to tell the brave story of Ross in the role of the shy, weak, underdog senator who makes a single decision that would destroy his political life, but save America from corruption. In “Profiles in Courage”, John F. Kennedy successfully uses his structures of his ideas and his detail placement of descriptive phrases, and words which set the tone and rhetorical devices that persuades the

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In the beginning of his speech Kennedy uses words like “unjustifiable,” and, “a responsible,” to show how he feels about the actions of the leading steel corporations. Later in his speech Kennedy uses the phrase “ruthless disregard of their public responsibilities,” to show his complete disagreement with the steel corporations and their decision to unreasonably raise the steel prices in America. By using negative words Kennedy is able to clearly get his opinion across to the audience of the press conference. In his speech there are many more examples of diction with the way he uses specific words. Most of these words happen to be negatively charged at the Steel Industries.

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