Rhetorical Devices In Jfk Inaugural Address

John F. Kennedy makes use of rhetorical devices like ethical and emotional appeals along with diction and syntax to create an inaugural address that will be remembered for decades. It was a period of distress all over the world when he was elected, and Kennedy shaped his address around this fact. The world was split, and the ability to end human life far out reached the ability to save it. He knew that he was a young, controversial president, so he needed to be able to come across as strong and determined, but not harsh or cruel. In the address, Kennedy establishes that his goal is to create peace by uniting the world together in the efforts to end war and help all. Without the use of multiple rhetorical devices, the address wouldn’t have any

Kennedy starts out his address with an appeal to ethos.

To properly convey his purpose, John F. Kennedy needed to establish a strong ethos, which he accomplished with the use of rhetoric. Right from the start, John F. Kennedy came across as a strong, confident man because of the tone he created. By using bold diction like, “bitter peace” and “tyranny” he set a distinguished tone that goes hand in hand with the formal tone he set with archaic diction like “forebears” and “writ”. To be the type of president that people support, they need to be someone that is bold and strong, as well as respectful; which John F. Kennedy revealed to his audience that he was. To further strengthen his appeal, John F. Kenney used inclusive diction. Repeatedly, he used “us” “we” and “our” instead of “you” or “your” when addressing the audience. The purpose of this was to let the audience know that every step he took during his presidency, they would be taking it together. When he says “My fellow citizens of the world”, he connects everyone, and implies that he will be a president that serves not only his country, but anyone that needs his help, just with the word “fellow”. John F. Kennedy is also able to convey to his audience that he will not be

Kennedy also used syntax to support his purpose. One of the first things most people notice when reading his augural address is that he uses a mixture of extremely short and long sentences. The short sentences are used to introduce the audience to a new topic, or to shift their attention. Since these sentences are short, they allow for a dramatic pause at the end of each one, which adds emphasis to what he just said, and gives the audience more time to digest its meaning. Another possible reason why some sentences are short is that Kennedy did it for the public’s sake, since whoever watched it in person was standing out in the freezing cold. The purposes of his long sentences are to explain, or explore an idea. When John F. Kennedy uses the inversion, “United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do,” he switches up the usual sentence structure and re-captures the audience’s attention to deliver this powerful message. Since an inversion changes up the usual order of things, Kennedy could use this as a prediction for how he is going to act as president. The placement of his ethical and emotional appeals plays a large role in their effectiveness. John F. Kennedy first established his ethos as someone that is trustworthy and patriotic, and then he moves on to make emotional appeals. He does this because without his ethos, his audience would be less willing to