Preview

Analysis Of John F Kennedy's Inaugural Address

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
738 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis Of John F Kennedy's Inaugural Address
In John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address speech (20 January 1961), the newly appointed president utilizes repetition of phrases, use of personal pronouns and antithesis which is the contrasting of ideas in a parallel structure to prove that the United States should unite together to become a world leader and fight together so that the U.S. could find peace with other countries. Inaugural addresses indict the beginning of a new presidency, which come with new promises to the American people. In Kennedy’s speech, he gives a pledge that the United States will have peace. With that newly found peace, friendships could be formed creating trade agreements which in return will help make the United States stronger as a country. He begins every pledge with “To those” and finishes with the group he is pledging …show more content…
One of Kennedy’s most recognizable quotes from his speeches, “Ask not what you country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” discusses what Americans purpose is in society. (26 Kennedy) In order to help unite the country again, the American people have to take responsibility for the divide in the first place and try to mend the broken country. Finding the peace that Kennedy wants requires the American people to think about what they can do to contribute to America to make America successful and a powerful country. Kennedy expresses his opinion to “Not as a call to bear arms… not as a call to battle.., but a call to bear the burden…” (5 Kennedy). Instead of holding onto violent or hostile thoughts towards the opposing group, everybody should come together to bury the harsh feelings towards each other so that the country may move onto bigger and better ideas. Contrasting ideas helps to see both sides of the argument which helps people to move on to find

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Jfk Rhetorical Devices

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages

    John F. Kennedy, in his presidential inaugural address, affirmed America’s traditional values and stressed the importance of establishing peace between countries. In his speech, Kennedy emphasized the need for unity between the United States and Soviet Union as it is the best way to preserve tranquility and to protect the nation. He utilized the rhetorical device of anaphora to accentuate the actions necessary to ensure the success of creating strong relations between the United States and Soviet Union. Kennedy repeated the phrase,” let both sides,” along with an inspiring suggestion to promote the idea that peace will put a stop to major disputes and allow countries to cooperate. Kennedy also used his speech as a platform to convince the American…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The hysteria surrounding communism ravaged the United States of America when John F. Kennedy was elected president. Sputnik was orbiting in space, the Cold War raged in the background and to combat the fear, America needed a strong, dependable leader. At this time, Kennedy barely beat his presidential competitor Richard Nixon causing uneasy feelings in the American public. To alleviate the apprehension, John F. Kennedy delivered an inspiring inaugural speech which sent a message of strength to the nation and world. Kennedy saturated the speech with rhetoric and realistic goals resulting in support from the entire nation. Although the speech was mainly intended to inspire American citizens, Kennedy used repetition, catalog, and allusions to convey a clarion in the final sections of his inaugural speech.…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    To achieve this goal, Kennedy establishes pathos when he appeals to the emotional side of those who had lost loved ones by telling them, “The graces of young Americans who answered the call of service surround the globe.” This quote serves to inspire the nation to stand up and make them realize that those honorable deaths have not been in vain with actions that will make this country more successful than any other country again.…

    • 1652 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    JFK Inaugural Address

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages

    President John F. Kennedy (JFK) is the 35th president of the United States of America. On January 20, 1961, he made his Inaugural Address. In this speech, he addressed his goals for the nation when he says, "we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty." By this means that as a nation, we should meet any needs necessary to maintain the freedom and justice of the people. He uses effective tactics and rhetorical devices, such as anaphora, chiasmus, and asyndeton, to maintain a conversational, yet clear and compelling, tone throughout the speech.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    John F. Kennedys inaugural speech took please on January 20, 1961 during the Cold War that consist of the power of communist over the United States and its government. The speech was said to motivate and express his (the presidents) thoughts on what actions should be implemented to come out victorious. John F. Kennedys used many rhetorical devices to make his appeals more concrete. As John F. Kennedy uses his decides he also uses other appeals such as chiasmus and alliteration to emphasize his speech and try to make his point across. In the next paragraphs, I will go into strict detail by providing historical background, a background on president John F. Kennedy, the appeals used, and the significance and effect of the speech. In John F. Kennedys, Inaugural Address, he utilizes rhetorical appeals, repetition and alliteration to make his speech more concrete for others to understand the importance of coming out victorious in the Cold War.…

    • 1733 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    On January 20, 1961 John Fitzgerald Kennedy delivered one of the powerful inaugural address in the nation’s history. The president’s unique style, personality, and his emotional feelings were presented in well-balanced sentences. The citizens that were present on that day considered the speech a success and can still remember it to this day.…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    By bringing up the topic of revolution and mentioning all the hardships people have gone through, Kennedy appeals to the American citizens’ sense of nationalism and pride. Another instance where Kennedy applies pathos is when he says, “In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty…Now the trumpet sounds again…--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.” (70). Here, Kennedy says how the course of the country lies with the citizens of America and how they need to cooperate to fight “the common enemies of man”. This makes the citizens feel important and want to actually do something themselves to help. Also, when Kennedy mentions how every generation of Americans have been required to defend against enemies, he, again, appeals to the nationalism and pride of American citizens. The third place where Kennedy appeals to emotion is when he says…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    First of all, in the inaugural address, january 20, 1961 J.F.K. the intended audience in this address is the united states and the world and so was the second document. John F. kennedy addressed his speech with the united states about how we need to pay any prices and assure the survival and also the liberty. The similarity between these two documents is that the audience, speaker and purpose are the same. The diction that kennedy used in his speech (freedom, poverty, devotion, and loyalty) those words were abstract.…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shampank

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In JFK’s Inaugural Address he uses many rhetorical terms such as allusion, metaphors, parallelism, and antimetabole. He uses these rhetoric to build up a sense of American pride, to have a common enemy, and also to ask for support of the nation to support their country. These goals are approached in a tough manner, but with the rhetoric it increases the odds of a positive reaction from audience.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s Inaugural Address best relates to current day 2016 in that it emphasizes on how we must keep good connections with our opponents and allies. For instance, the threat of ISIS affects many countries but by uniting allies together to oppose the aggression of ISIS and by negotiating with adversaries, we can formulate a more united world to ensure a more peaceful and stronger society. Unity is essential in guaranteeing that a nation will continue to thrive, however division will only create antagonistic tensions that can threaten to tear the nation…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered arguably the greatest inaugural addresses ever given. While many argue that he was only accepted for his good looks and charming personality, his widespread acceptance owes credit to his many literary elements. Kennedy’s use of diction, imagery, and tone allow for a very persuasive presentation and supply him the ability to completely engulf the listener’s attention.…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For centuries, a president’s inaugural address has held profound importance, and is expected to be a memorable one. John F. Kennedy’s in particular, was one of the most touching and inspiring inaugural addresses in our country’s history and it continues to be analyzed in classrooms, articles, and on television today. His words gained the people’s confidence that he had a positive future in store for America, and his moving statements kept the attention on him captivated. His uses of rhetorical strategies caused his arguments to be emphasized as well as considered, and he was able to say so much without boring those listening. He not only demonstrated the commitment that he was willing to make for the good of America, but he also encouraged citizens to join him in his effort. Regardless of the many methods Kennedy used to create his outstanding Address, the tone in which it was told is the most powerful one he used to win the crowd and earn their respect. His use of tone is effective in achieving his purpose- that those witnessing the speech desire to unite with Kennedy and overcome the common obstacles that faced their country together.…

    • 976 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout his speech, Kennedy talks about his plans for the betterment of the United States and what he is going to do to create new friendships with countries that share the same beliefs with us, and his…

    • 1119 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John F. Kennedy's Speech

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages

    John F. Kennedy promoted change and sought to have peace. The structure of Kennedy’s speech is also parallel. He uses a repeating grammatical structure to create a rhythm that evokes the audience’s attention. His address is empowering to the american people and he was very clear on his view of america. Kennedy called upon his fellow Americans to start getting involved in the government and to start serving their country and he invites a new era of peace and cooperation. He calls upon Americans for cooperation, sacrifice, and idealism.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Our country is slowly but surely meeting the words of Kennedy because the people stand up for themselves when they believe something is unjust. “Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” Kennedy is stating that we need to work together in order to gain the freedom we want. Today we can see that we have somewhat accomplished what he was challenging the citizens to do because we have people organizing protests when the majority…

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics