Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address

Politician and 35th President of the U.S, John F. Kennedy- more commonly known as JFK- in his inaugural address, encourages Americans to begin anew and prepare for change. Kennedy’s purpose is to fuse America in a united cause, and reassure them of their strength and power. This purpose is achieved through figurative language that aids the audience in visualizing Kennedy’s goals, and creates the desired optic emotion. He continues with feelings of patriotic pathos, and an inspiring tone to project to people of all status and origin, that unity is strength, and you can do anything when people help each other out. He focuses on the strength of individuals pooling together, to accumulate vigor as a whole.

Prior to John F. Kennedy’s inauguration was, of course, the election of 1960, in which Kennedy went face to face with Richard Nixon on issues such as, the Cold War, Kennedy’s religious beliefs, and the display of each’s competence. In Kennedy’s inaugural address, he not only alludes, but also addresses to the Cold War, and makes mention of his future plans and Roman Catholic religious beliefs; and, he does so through use of allusions and anaphoras. Through the use of allusions and anaphoras, Kennedy effectively achieves his purpose of fulfilling citizen’s expectations, addressing the Cold War, and stating the United States’s future plans to his audience, the United States of America and other nations, through emphasis and rhetorical appeals towards pathos and ethos.

The American public, fearful of the cold war and the ominous nuclear warfare possibilities, were given hope and united by John F. Kennedy's memorable inaugural address. It is a tradition for the new president to give an inaugural address in hopes to unify, reassure and provide a future vision for the american citizens. Kennedy's address accomplished this and achieved for the speech to be considered the greatest speeches of the twentieth century (Mehltretter). Kennedy used several literary devices to make his speech memorable; however, two methods stand out his use of powerful imagery and allusion.

Kennedy’s address upon swearing into the presidency of the United States effectively unites the people of America through his utilization of persuasive rhetoric. Kennedy’s strength in rhetoric lies with his ability to seek a commonplace with the audience. He repeatedly addresses his speech “to those” living in every type of situation both in America, and in the world as a whole. Kennedy brings “both sides” together at a middle ground where they both can agree. In his speech he unites the people of America to comply with him no matter their party affiliation. Kennedy’s productive anaphoras left no stone unturned when appealing to the masses. When he urges his audience to “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your

Since the emergence of American, the president's inaugural address has invariably been a constitutional step in the new administration. It is a pivotal moment in which the new president informs the American people of his plan, the way which he will lead, and how they will execute that plan.These speeches are always distinguished; Kennedy's Address does not diverge from this esteemed tradition. Using rhetoric, Kennedy seemingly illustrates his plan for the —reborn— nation; one of peace, fellowship, and cooperation — to American citizens. John F. Kennedy's comprehensive utilization of parallelism, antithesis, and syntax are supplementary to his successful speech.

In American history, we have been tempered by wars, disease and infections, racism, poverty and freedom equality. However as a nation we have come together as one and prospered. In his Inaugural Address given on January 20th, 1961, John F. Kennedy’s central idea was for the citizens of the United States to become involved in overcoming any challenges and prospering.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s inaugural speech was addressed to not only to America, but the world. Kennedy was charismatic, confident and intelligent. He spoke saying we and together, talking about everyone in the world working together rather than what he wanted to do for our country. Even though Kennedy wanted to eagerly benefit our country, signify renewal, as well as change, and uplift us, it was always up to the people and still is. His plan was to “begin anew”- “where the strong are just, and the weak secure, and the peace preserved.” Knowing it wouldn’t be achieved soon, he wanted to start as soon as possible. America was divided by economical and social issues, but Kennedy looks past that as stated, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of blabbering those problems which divide us.” Citizens had different opinions, America was fighting the cold war, and there was a hope for desegregation. Issues of mankind included: “Tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself”.

One of the greatest presidential terms began with one of the most remembered inaugural speeches of all time. As the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy gives his address to encourage the American people after the hardship and turmoil of the Cold War. Throughout his speech he lists his inspiring intentions to rebuild the future of this great nation. He instills a universal goal within the hearts of the American people and provides them with a sense of security and safety. Throughout the entirety of his address, Kennedy develops a compelling tone which enhances overwhelming feelings of patriotism within the souls of the American people. While accomplishing these objectives, Kennedy creatively

On January 20th, 1961 John F. Kennedy stood at the Supreme Court in Washington D.C and delivered his inaugural address to millions of people. In a time of both domestic and international unrest, Kennedy had to establish the type of administration he hoped to lead and gain the support of all of his audiences. This analysis of Kennedy’s inaugural address provides an alternate perspective on how he was able to effectively unite his audience behind him. Through evaluating John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address it is clear that he instills a sense of hope in the audience and attempts to unify the public through appeals to fear, establishing himself as a capable leader, uniting both his international and domestic audiences behind the

Being number two on the list of top one hundred speeches in www.americanrhetoric.com, it is no surprise that John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural speech on January 20, 1961had a great impact on the American public (ar100). His speech is famous for it’s eloquence and ending call to action, challenging the American public to, “ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country (JFK 1).” Traditionally, inaugural speeches are given to unify the nation and provide a clear picture of what the future will look like throughout the presidency. During the time of Kennedy’s inaugural speech, the American people were becoming increasingly fearful of a very long cold war. However, instead of instilling a feeling of peace for the United States, Kennedy spoke of a long struggle, emphasizing the major differences between the United States and its enemies, and outlined the specific responsibilities and obligations of the United States citizens. Kennedy’s speech was eloquently delivered and well-crafted, however there was much more depth to his speech than just how well is was delivered. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address showed the American foreign policy and raised the stakes of the cold war.

It is inevitable that president John F. Kennedy was one of the greatest speakers when it came to the use of rhetorical strategies. He knew how to manipulate his audience’s opinion in a matter of a few words, a talent that not many were able to obtain. Using

On January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy was sworn into office and delivered one of the most famous and remembered inaugural addresses in U.S. history. Kennedy was motivated to calm fears about the rise of Soviet power during the 1950`s. With his elaborated speech he called upon American citizens to act in support of their government. The motivation for American citizens to defend freedom and democracy introduced a challenge and an opportunity for Kennedy with his tactics for presidency. In his Inaugural Address, Kennedy builds up his fellow Americans’ pride with calls to the nation to support their country in many ways.

On a cold January afternoon in 1961, John F. Kennedy directs his inaugural address at a generation of Americans that have the potential to achieve national and humanitarian goals. Kennedy’s inaugural speech joined the country in the determination upon a peaceful victory in the long cold war struggle with the Soviet Union. In addition, Kennedy wanted to gain more allies for the United States by stressing his concern for global poverty as well as his opposition to dictatorship. As a result, Kennedy’s purpose was to let the nation know that together, Americans and the administration could effect change and achieve goals intended to create a nation that set the tone for humanitarian efforts. Kennedy achieves this by using specific diction and impactful syntax.

As a President of the United States, one should be expected to hold a level of charisma and eloquence that can sway a nation for the better in trying times. The inaugural address of the 35th President John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961 is no such exception; orchestrating a symphony of emotion in words that would prove to be effective among the millions watching him – U.S. citizen or not. Kennedy’s inaugural address would be rhetorical hallmark in history, skillfully weaving a high intensity of pathos and logos throughout his speech, as well as making use of certain rhetorical strategies relating to repetition, rhetorical questions, and the types of diction he uses.

In the early 1960’s, the United States of America was endeavoring major racial complications and tension, while fighting communism overseas and protecting the nation from nuclear war and weapons. Fear and doubt overwhelmed the majority of the American people and were desperate for a strong, courageous leader. Kennedy performed many powerful speeches during his presidency, however, his most influential speech was his presidential inaugural address on January 20, 1961. John F. Kennedy provided substantial reassurance when he addressed the nation shortly after being sworn into office. When attempting to inspire and motivate our citizens, Kennedy proposed that our citizens were being “tempted by war,” and successfully appealed to the emotions of his audience. He used this speech to not only celebrate his victory, but to correspondingly unite the American people. His inaugural speech to the world on that day imposed a sense of tranquility and confidence in their new leader that was much needed at the time. It presents a strong presence of ethos, pathos, and logos to effectively accomplish his goal of speaking to the heart of the audience. My goal in this paper is to successfully evaluate and examine the passionate speech that President Kennedy performed because he invoked a sense of unity in order to accomplish lasting harmony.