Summary Of John F Kennedy's Inaugural Address

In his inaugural address, John F. Kennedy addresses the American Public about the potential that the future of America can hold- if they strive to achieve it. Throughout his address, he refers a number of times to the belief that the people should be helping the government, not relying on the government to help them. Kennedy established his belief in this philosophy through the strong figurative language and rhetorical strategies he employed throughout his speech. Moreover. he assured the American People that as president, he believed in the importance of the common man by stating “ In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” By utilizing such strong language, John F. Kennedy was …show more content…
Throughout this section, he focuses on addressing how to achieve a successful nation. He demonstrates this through his final call to action, in which he says “let us go forth and lead the land we love.” This quote helps elaborate upon Kennedy’s main message throughout his address, which is that if the population is willing to work together toward a common goal, the potential of America’s future is limitless. Throughout this section, Kennedy relies less on figurative language, and more on rhetorical strategies to get his point across. Perhaps the most famous example of his utilization of these rhetorical strategies at his address’ end is when he states “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” This quote helps accentuate his main message throughout his address- that the people are the power and will be the catalyst for a successful future for America. In this last section of text, Kennedy’s syntax changes. The presence of figurative language, such as metaphors and contrasts, has virtually disappeared, and been replaced with a number of rhetorical strategies, which were used to help to further his points by helping to further develop the fact that he believed that the next great era of America could be ushered in if the general public does “what together we can do for the freedom of man.” All throughout his address, Kennedy utilized multiple examples of both figurative language and rhetorical strategies to help further establish his belief that if the American public can stay united toward a common goal, that the future would hold unlimited potential. This promise of hope was a desperate need for the terrified American Public, who feared nuclear attacks from the Soviet Union at any given moment. Yet, using that fear and many, many examples of strong language, Kennedy was able to establish a sense of hope and belief in