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Rhetorical Devices In The Inaugural Speech By John F. Kennedy

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The Inaugural speech by John F. Kennedy is a landmark type of speech that was given to the American populace in order to inspire confidence and to provoke them to take immediate action. His speech made extensive use of rhetorical devices in order to successfully express his goals. His stylistic devices include antithesis, parallelism, and varying structure flows in order to attract attention and to show what his service will accomplish. Kennedy details “a new generation of Americans” by contrasting old and new with his antithesis. He states, “Symbolizes an end as well as a beginning” and “signifies renewal as well as change” in order to do so. This connects the younger generation of Americans and the older generation. He unites them under one goal and one purpose by using antithesis, ignoring their differences, and prepares them for what’s there to come in the future. He uses ethos quite effectively to re-establish his personal character. It was well known that Kennedy was a very religious man, and he reinforces this concept by citing the Lord’s name several times, as well as alluding to …show more content…

Kennedy uses long sentences to cover larger amounts of rhetoric, stating examples and pecking at the hearts of the audience, and then he follows up with a simple fact or statement directly stating the principle. This prevents the speech from becoming redundant. John F Kennedy captivates and prepares the audience for the goals of his presidency by using antithesis, parallelism, and variable sentence structure. Kennedy never stays on one topic too long and he uses good open-ended sentences to transition through his points. This is why his speech is revered as one of the most intelligently created and memorable speeches in

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In John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address Kennedy uses rhetorical strategies such as; diction, syntax, tone, and figurative language. Kennedys uses these elements to achieve the purpose in which was trying to be reached to the audience. The purpose of Kennedy's inaugural address was to inspire the citizens of America. Kennedy evoked a sense of security and a spirit of idealism which reassured Americans of their nation's strengths and inspired them to serve their country and the world.

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