The Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy

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On a cold day in 1961, John F. Kennedy delivered a speech to the citizens and peoples of both America and the world. After the end of a close and competitive election, he used this speech not to celebrate his victory as president, but to unite the audience. He addresses the audience with a statement that would be remembered for years to come, as its call to duty is a powerful one. A strong appeal to ethics─ not only his ethics but our ethics as a country united through shared values─ and powerfully emotional and logical arguments are used to convince the audience to take a stand and make a difference. Additionally, he appeals to the rest of the world by referring to different areas and countries of the globe while also connecting all human beings together as one population. In this inaugural address, Kennedy joins Americans together as one country and humans together as one population with a call to duty that relies on a substantial appeal to the ethics and morals of himself and the audience. Additionally, the use of a structurally and logically sound argument with powerful imagery and emotions used throughout the speech allows this call to action to be so useful in uniting Americans and the human race together. Kennedy aims for his speech to be used as a call to duty to unite all of his listeners. There were many pressing issues─ threats to freedom and liberty, the existence of poverty and misery, and lack of peace and civility─ that he felt should be rectified. He states