John F Kennedy Inaugural Speech Essay

Throughout history, there have been numerous monumental speeches that either changed public perception or brought forth a new era of thinking. From Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, these orations have all had their own unique effects on the United States’ history. Among those most famous and sacred speeches, one must include John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address. On the afternoon of January 20, 1961, Kennedy delivered one of the most powerful call-to-action speeches ever to be spoken to the general public (Bredhoff, n.d.). His speech was so influential that it captured the nation’s attention, and to this day, it is still quoted heavily among scholars of the highest calling. Kennedy’s speech is not only adequately supplied with the most exquisite forms of rhetorical devices to ever be used in a speech, it also contains a strong appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos; thus, making it even easier for the speech to resonate with the audience. Assumedly, Kennedy’s main goal in his inaugural address is to inaugurate his own vision for the United States of America. Kennedy’s speech can be broken down …show more content…
“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