Use Of Metaphors In Jfk Inaugural Address

The Crusades of more than 700 years past, though noble in intention, led to nothing but embarrassment and defeat. On an early January morning, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy brings back the fervor of so long ago and launches a holy war of his own against the evils of the world. In his Inaugural Address in the wintry air, President Kennedy uses metaphor to convey his plan for a turning point for the world. He first uses luminous metaphors to show the United States as the light for a world threatened by darkness. Acting as a blacksmith, he uses his hammer to shatter the shackles of servitude. Finally, He uses synecdoche to show that the responsibility of freeing the world lies solely with the United States. Through the use of these metaphors

that will he will bring light to. The forces that oppose peace are “dark powers” who would bring about “destruction.” The U.S. engages the shadowy forces in a “long twilight struggle,” in an effort to destroy the evils of the world: “tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. This interplay between light and dark showcases Kennedy’s Catholic background. The metaphors show how Kennedy acts as God’s radiant agent, combating the lightless forces of sin and evil. Through these religious values, Kennedy hopes to reforge America in God’s

With his hammer, he breaks the “bonds” and “chains” that hold other nations in poverty. He also forms the weapons that poor and downtrodden use to break free from the grasp of “iron tyranny.” Kennedy wishes for the United Nations to empower its “shield” of the small and weak countries. According to Kennedy, those countries that are enshrouded in oppression and tyranny need to be supplied with resources to emancipate themselves from injustice. The burden of equipping these nations lies within the hands of America. Through his use of synecdoche, Kennedy reveals the duty that Americans have in freeing the world. He places the in “mortal hands” the power to destroy both poverty and humanity. The success, or failure, of humanity rests in “[i]n [the] hands” of the citizens, not of Kennedy. By placing the ability to both bring everlasting peace or destruction to Earth directly into Americans’ reach, it forces the people to make a choice. Either they follow Kennedy and bring democracy and unity to the world, or they can ignore the plight of other countries and bring