On January 20th, 1961, war veteran, Pulitzer prize winner, and thirty-fifth president of the United States of America, John Fitzgerald Kennedy gave his Inaugural Address. An inaugural address is a combination between a ceremony where the new president is inducted into office and their first speech to the people as president. The first speech is supposed to inform the people of their intentions as a leader of the country. Kennedy’s speech was filled with strong and poetic but also simple language with a resemblance to President Lincoln. His words followed a theme of unity and peace but also self-defense.…
John F. Kennedy gave his inaugural address after being sworn into the presidency on Jan, 20, 1961. On the day January 20 th 1961, new president John F Kennedy was giving his Inaugural Speech and was giving people a reason to trust him because…
John F Kennedy gave his inaugural address leading up to the height of the Cold War to not only the American people, but the entire world. Tensions had been rising with the Soviet Union and they showed no signs of slowing down. From his speech the his country and the world demanded a passionate pledge to make things better while diplomatic tensions forced him to choose his words carefully, as they were delicate and could easily light the fuse for hot war if he misspoke. His audience was both a hopeful group of his own citizens and a strained enemy walking the line between peace and war. In a time when the world was on eggshells from the constant threat of nuclear weapons, the leader of the most powerful country in the world was faced with outlining…
During the climax of the Cold War, newly elected United States president, John F. Kennedy, delivered his inaugural address and presented his political agenda for the upcoming years as president. Kennedy’s purpose in his inaugural address is to unite nations and peoples across world to promote worldwide peace and international security. To achieve his purpose and inspire the audience, Kennedy employed a variety of rhetorical strategies. Throughout his speech, Kennedy uses juxtaposition to develop his claims and ideas while refuting opposing ideas.…
By addressing each group individually, President Kennedy shows that everyone is needed to bring peace and unity to the world, not just the Soviet Union. World peace is a global issue, and he knew everyone must take a part in restoring it in order to achieve it. Shortly after this anaphora, President Kennedy uses another one to emphasize his claim of unifying both hemispheres. He begins the following paragraphs with the phrase “Let both sides…” (464). Again, he uses this repetition in order to stress his claim of unity.…
He was calling for peace for all of mankind. Kennedy’s main goal was to promote democracy and peace. Kennedy was informing about the new tactics that he would use to solve issues; he was also promoting patriotism for the country. He wanted Americans to look at his victory in the election for “celebration of…
In order to achieve his purpose, president John F. Kennedy uses a sense of determination and figurative language, to inspire the newly founded generation of Americans to keep the raging flames of their forefathers alive, which had been fought so hard for the assurance to survival and the success of liberty. Being the youngest president to take office, President Kennedy had to prove his self-worth to his country during the height of the cold war. Kennedy uses symbolism throughout his speech to inspire the younger generation, symbolism such as the passing of the "torch". The "torch" symbolizes the ambition of Americans of that of the first revolution. It is also symbolizing an end as well as a beginning, acknowledging the start of a new era.…
In his inaugural speech, Kennedy uses personification to bring his audience together. "Now the trumpet summons us again- not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need", by saying this Kennedy insinuates that the American people should be united and should not succumb to hate and war, but…
To that world assembly of sovereign states… to those nations who would make themselves our adversary (John F. Kennedy Quotations).” The use of this word allows Kennedy to address the entire audience under one umbrella: a listener. He incorporates people from all walks of life to dictate the idea that all people are affected by the Cold War, no matter how immediate. He presents the effects of the war and the values that people should hold during the hard time. By unifying the audience under this idea, he inevitably gains support from all areas.…
In his famous “ask not…(Kennedy, 1961, Para.26)” line of the speech, Kennedy touched the hearts of many young americans by empowering them to do something for there country. While there are many interpretations to the reaction resulting from this line of speech, Nathan Rott argues that “Kennedy's inaugural was as much a challenge to America's youth as it was a speech (Rott, 2011, Para 13)”. Additionally, he adds to the idea that many young Americans saw this as a challenge rather than a simple idea, and this was just one way many Americans, young or old, reacted to this famous line of texts. Rott himself considers this line as the title of the speech rather than original name because of the heartfelt reactions this line resulted in compared to the rest of the…
Kennedy utilized pathos throughout his speech by evoking patriotism to elicit the emotions of his audience and by portraying his personal views. The exploitation of pathos within the speech was one aspect that had formulated the legacy he has departed from. For instance, when he encourages the nations to work together to strive for a democracy rather than tyranny, and bolsters each citizen to take a role in progress towards peace, he is illustrating his usage of pathos. Kennedy states within his speech, “ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country”. This quote empowers the people due to the emotional facet of patriotism, telling the citizens they are called to be a part of a greater solution to fight against tyranny, poverty, disease, and war.…
The Inaugural Address was intended for the American public and anyone who needed reassurance that their country was not completely destroyed during the Cold War. He used a very encouraging tone throughout the speech ,seeking to imply hope and aspirations for the nation. Kennedy answered all the questions and doubts without intending to do so. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and…
“My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America can do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man,” (Kennedy, 1961). This is just one prime example of an antithesis within Kennedy’s inaugural address, but nonetheless, the effect is still distinguishable. Kennedy is able to strike a nerve with the world and its entirety by challenging all of mankind to band together and put an end to the tyrannical oppression brought onto fellow man (“What Made JFK 's Inaugural Address so Effective?” n.d.). “United there is little we cannot do… Divided there is little we can do,” (Kennedy, 1961). Here is an additional exemplar that exhibits Kennedy’s ability to utilize antitheses within his inaugural…
January 20, 1961: John Fitzgerald Kennedy stands in front of a crowd of 20,000 people and delivers his inaugural address. The recent snowfall does not stop people from attending and he starts his speech by addressing those in attendance, “Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice president Nixon, President Truman, Reverend Clergy, fellow citizens”, He says then continues his speech proudly telling the american people that they have begin the start to something bigger, that america will be strong under any burden. Kennedy’s conviction in the American way is shown when he states that america will stand against any foe who opposed the success of liberty and freedom; because of this faith he also says america…
It also sent a message not only to American’s but to those countries around the world. He set the tone for how his administration was going to respond to the cold war. Kennedy’s speech was forceful, and his persuasive response to the escalating cold war, that in his view would demand commitment and sacrifice from all Americans. His speech presented a vision of public service that inspired a whole generation of political and civic leaders to defend freedom around the world, and it influenced American presidential discourse for decades to…