Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy's Moral Speech

On a cold day in 1961, John F. Kennedy delivered a speech to the citizens and peoples of both America and the world. After the end of a close and competitive election, he used this speech not to celebrate his victory as president, but to unite the audience. He addresses the audience with a statement that would be remembered for years to come, as its call to duty is a powerful one. A strong appeal to ethics─ not only his ethics but our ethics as a country united through shared values─ and powerfully emotional and logical arguments are used to convince the audience to take a stand and make a difference. Additionally, he appeals to the rest of the world by referring to different areas and countries of the globe while also connecting all human beings together as one population. In this inaugural address, Kennedy joins Americans together as one country and humans together as one population with a call to duty that relies on a substantial appeal to the ethics and morals of himself and the audience. …show more content…
Kennedy uses ethical appeals in his speech to further unite the country while also adding to his credibility as a newly elected president. He swears the same oath set by “our forebears” in front of the country to show his commitment to the survival of basic human rights “because it is right” (Kennedy). As a people, we are committed to the promotion of human rights and peace as well, and by showing his commitment to these ideals, he can prove his credibility through a shared set of ethics with the audience. Kennedy’s impressive credibility parallels the same reliability that is ideal in the American nation. This connection between the president─ who can make an impact on the world─ and the audience shows that the people have the same ability to make an impact on the planet. This increases the audience’s desire to accept this call to action and results in an efficient speech as