John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Speech During The Cold War

Improved Essays
Madni Polani
Professor Kirk
RHET 1302.036
09 September 2017
Words to Monument
After World War II, the Cold War plagued the world with a nuclear arms race. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in order to establish the strongest military power. When first inaugurated to the Presidential Office on January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy was caught up in the conflict of the Cold War. As President of the United States, he primarily aimed to dictate the values of freedom and liberty within the world while simultaneously addressing the conflicts that lay with the Cold War. Kennedy strategically addressed his inaugural speech by using anaphora to make his audience universal rather than just the United States, which allows
…show more content…
Starting from the seventh line in the speech, he begins each line with “to.” “To those old allies… To those new states…To those people in the huts and villages…To our sister republics south of the borders… 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. He speaks directly to people from poverty stricken areas and reminds them of the support they have from America. In addition to this, he invites people to stay strong and lend others a hand with in the time, further uniting on the idea of compassion for others. Kennedy begins the list of “to” with individual mentions. In other words, he starts small scale and gradually includes with entire world. This stylistic choice is important because it enforces the idea that all people are unified as humans who live on the earth, inspiring humanity within the …show more content…
Kennedy’s Inaugural Address is one of the most memorable speeches in U.S. history. His use of rhetorical devices such as anaphora and antithesis sparked a promise of freedom and equality on a global level. He inspired a new beginning to a different era by distancing the world from the conflicts of the Cold War. Kennedy not only is able to intensify the meaningful aspect of a universal resolution but is also able to generate a lasting impact on his audience. His speech not only had a drastic impact on his audience but also for him as his approval rating skyrocketed to about 75 percent of Americans (The Election of 1960). The Address’ universal connection brings about an importance in not only unifying people towards the Cold War but also creating a perception of global

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    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.…

    • 1940 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    JFK Inaugural Address

    • 1905 Words
    • 8 Pages

    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…

    • 1905 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    JFK’s Inaugural Speech In 1961 on a cold day afternoon, John F. Kennedy delivered a speech to the citizens of the United States. His speech was hailed as a return to the tradition of political eloquence. President Kennedy used this speech to connect more with the people in America. JFK uses anaphora, alliteration, and parallelism to get closer to the American people.…

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    President Kennedy shows his passion, not only towards his people and country, but toward the whole world and the peace that everyone could endure if they were to put their differences behind them. When addressing all of the nations, he says in the inauguration “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.” The passion to join with other nations in attempts to have peace throughout the world is shown throughout the essay. Just as he addressed the world of peace, he also addresses the citizens of the U.S. to inspire them to “... ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” (found in the inauguration…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Kennedy and the Cold War The purpose of this essay is to highlight several pivotal and historic events that occurred in President John F. Kennedy’s short term in office (1961-1963). The events to be discussed will be the Bay of Pigs invasion, The Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Berlin Crisis. Anyone of these events had the potential capability to catapult the free world into a war with the Soviet Union.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout Kennedy’s speech, he appeals to our emotions through charged language, which gives a sense of urgency regarding the situation, and how integral unity is to the survival of humanity. One example of emotional language is when Kennedy says, “...bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations” (285). Through the use of words with strong, negative connotations in this quote, such as, “absolute power to destroy other nations”, he evokes a sense of uneasiness and concern in the listener; persuading the listener to follow Kennedy’s advice. Kennedy also appeals to the listener’s emotions through restatement; where he expresses similar ideas in different words. One example of this is when he says, “Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce” (285).…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    He appeals to the people by creating a sense of inclusivity by addressing his audience with personal pronouns, such as our, we and us, to show his dedication to the people on a more personal level. He insisted that the American people should go beyond their personal beliefs to dissolve their differences and to think of “today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom.” He attempts to establish himself as a just and equal leader that saw past the insignificant divisions shaped by political parties, ultimately gaining more support. By doing so, he becomes more credible, thus making his speech more…

    • 1383 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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.…

    • 1172 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    JFK Inaugural Address

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages

    John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s Inaugural Address was one of the most momentous speeches in United States history as it influenced a great number of people to accomplish incredible things. Kennedy’s authoritative tone and usage of grandiose phrasing puts him on a pedestal as a figure that appears to be more than just a man. The article, “Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration, 50 years on,” written by Eleanor Clift, help regular civilians gain a thorough understanding of JFK’s Inaugural Address by interpreting it in a way contrary from the average citizen. Eleanor Clift’s article establishes an informal mood of the day of JFK’s Inaugural Address by displaying personal experiences of the inauguration, which creates an informal and relaxed atmosphere,…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” Those words, some of the most famous in American history, were spoken by John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961, the day of his inauguration as the 35th President of the United States of America. At that time the United States was deep into the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Kennedy’s speech mentions the ongoing economic and military competition between the two nations (“John F. Kennedy”). In his inaugural address, John F. Kennedy uses chiasmus, repetition and emotional appeal to convince the American people to move away from conflict, and focus on progress.…

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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.…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Kennedy says this to explain to his audience that rather than involving their country into the outside violence, such as wars, they can instead show kindness by helping others who are in need which can…

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    During the Cold War, there were a series of moments when the world seemed on the brink of nuclear annihilation. The closest of these moments was the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, and it left a lasting feeling of pessimism in the global atmosphere. The United States and the Soviet Union had been actively involved in an arms race and many feared that continued escalation would result in direct conflict between the two superpowers and their respective allies. It was in this atmosphere of uncertainty and fear that the US president John F. Kennedy gave a commencement address at American University in 1963. When the speech was given, it served several key purposes.…

    • 1792 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Two of the issues which Kennedy identifies are the “bonds of mass misery” (9) and the “chains of poverty” (10). When describing the two, Kennedy uses imagery to allow the audience to visualize the global problems. He also uses this imagery to declare what the United States will do in order to resolve the issue. The country will offer aid to the struggling around the world and help them because it is the right thing to do, not because the communists are doing to it. Kennedy also jabs at the communists again with a metaphor about power.…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These countries need assistance due to the fact some have begun to lean towards communism as they are running out of supplies, such as food, water, medicine, and even lives. John F. Kennedy announces he will try to do anything he can to assist those people for they are in desperate need of help. He expertly announces each appropriate group of countries. By focusing his attention using the words, “To those” continuously. Kennedy made a bold move by including these foreign countries to his speech, but it surely did gain the trust of those citizens in the foreign countries.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays