Rhetorical Analysis Of Kennedy's Second Inaugural Address

Rhetorical Analysis of Lincoln and Kennedy Speeches Political speeches have produced some of the most organized, articulated, and aesthetic language throughout history. In their first and second inaugural addresses respectively, John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln presented to the country a beautiful collection of lines, many of them still remembered to this day. These artfully written speeches were not written in such style on accident, as the mastery of syntax, diction, and trope are used to effectively win over an audience. Both Kennedy and Lincoln unify and reassure the citizens of the United States by mastering these components of rhetoric and appealing to the society of their respective times. While both Kennedy and Lincoln speak for …show more content…
This is Lincoln’s second inaugural address, so the people already know who he is and were confident enough in him to elect him once more. The emotions of the nation as a whole from the Civil War enacted Lincoln to tap these emotions and once more try to unify the nation. He says, “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in…” (Lincoln). For logos, Lincoln does not focus on providing overwhelming statistics or information of the war, but instead uses very simple, and obvious, pieces of information so he can expand on it as in this statement: “These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest” (Lincoln). He then goes on to speak about how slavery was the main problem of the war and tries to avoid assigning blame to a particular …show more content…
Kennedy says, “Now the trumpet summons us again – not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need – not as a call to battle, though embattled we are – but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle…” The words “arms” and “burden” are both terms not used in modern times, but Kennedy includes them because they are sophisticated, much like the title of President of the United States. Words like “summons” and “embattled” are words that are used in modern day language, but imply a connotation that is more formal and professional. Lincoln includes the line, “Fondly do we hope – fervently do we pray – that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.” “Scourge” and “fervently” are both archaic terms, and “fondly” is formal. These terms, similar to Kennedy’s speech, sound much more affluent and