Kennedy Inaugural Address Speech Analysis

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Throughout history, Presidents have used their inaugural address to present their vision of America and to set forth their goals for the nation. John Fitzgerald Kennedy`s inaugural address, delivered on a bitterly cold, snow-laden January 20, 196l, was one of the shortest but is also regarded as one of the most powerful. His speech was effective at touching and motivating many Americans. It created a lasting impact that is still celebrated decades later as Eleanor Clift did in her article “Inside Kennedy`s Inauguration, 50 Years On” in which friends and family of Kennedy share their memories of the inauguration. While Kennedy evokes an emotional response from his audience by inspiring his nation to unite, Eleanor Clift`s “Inside Kennedy`s Inauguration, …show more content…
Both Kennedy and Clift impart that change was the focal point of the day by conjuring an emotion reaction from their audience. Kennedy who addressed not only the citizens of America but also the citizens of the world delivered a speech about bringing in a new era. He represented the new generation, a new cohort of Americans taking the reins in the post-war era in the United States. Kennedy himself embodied that change by exemplifying youth and optimism and was smart to focus on this new era full of promises and hope during his inaugural address, for his audience was motivated and inspired by its newly elected, youthful president. Furthermore, in his speech, Kennedy promised to bring hope, peace and freedom to every American, an end of tyranny, and war - the same principles of the Founding Fathers, that all men are created equal and should be treated as such. He affirmed better global relations and with the help of science and people, to stop hunger, poverty, and find cures for disease. By using these broad, visionary ideas, Kennedy unites the listeners by employing abstract words such as poverty and sacrifice in order to get a shared …show more content…
Kennedy is portrayed as a man with youthful strength as he wears a suit rather than a coat in the snow during his speech which shows his willingness to bring in the new era of a unified America since Kennedy is willing to brave the cold in order to deliver his message (Source 3). Although he was different from his predecessor as a young and democratic president, Kennedy sought to distinguish himself as a president who would unite and represent all of the citizens which is shown with Kennedy`s use of emotionally charged language such as poverty and sacrifice which inaugurates a shared reaction. His series of invitations (Source 1) and imperative sentences (Source 1) is utilized in order to encourage people to unify in a positive way as it is their moral and ethical responsibility. This anaphora is also used to emphasize the importance of everyone working together. Lastly, Kennedy`s call to action in the form of rhetorical questions (Source 1) is effective since he gives instruction before emphasizing unity, so everyone will follow his instructions. Throughout his speech, he echoes a concept of one united country despite the scare of a nuclear war since Kennedy believes, “divided, there is little we can do- for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder” (Source 1). Kennedy accentuates that splitting due to different viewpoints and opinions that are not part of the bigger picture will only hurt the

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