John F. Kennedy Speech
John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Speech
Presidents use rhetoric in most of their speeches to effectively convey their thoughts and ideas to the American people. John F. Kennedy was elected to be the thirty-fifth president of the United States. When the United States was going through a tough time and looking for a leader Kennedy was the youngest president ever and needed to establish himself as a leader and prove that he could change America. Kennedy’s inaugural speech’s purpose was to use emotional language to inspire and appeal to ethos of an anxious and restless audience.
If a nation can’t trust a leader, they can’t live comfortably. JFK uses several persuasive appeals to inspire his audience. The purpose of his speech is to inspire, not really educate, logos are not used often throughout. Kennedy uses emotional language to include his audience in his goals. With the famous line, “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” Kennedy makes the task of bringing peace to the United States not only his responsibility but also to American peoples. This quote is an antimetabole or a repetition of words in reverse order. JFK makes the audience feel personally responsible for make America a better place. Another noticeable aspect of JFK’s inaugural address is his ability to use his language to bring out a sense of pride in the American people. The president uses forms of imagery to remind the listeners they are “The heirs of that first revolution.” The images of freedom and liberty are often used like this to prompt the audience to think of the United States as strong country. Even though the speech is largely emotion, Kennedy also uses the text to establish ethos to the citizens of the world.
Despite President Kennedy’s young age, he is expected to perform on the same level as past presidents. JFK is aware of this expectation and assures his audience in the first paragraph that, “For I have sworn before you and
Presidents use rhetoric in most of their speeches to effectively convey their thoughts and ideas to the American people. John F. Kennedy was elected to be the thirty-fifth president of the United States. When the United States was going through a tough time and looking for a leader Kennedy was the youngest president ever and needed to establish himself as a leader and prove that he could change America. Kennedy’s inaugural speech’s purpose was to use emotional language to inspire and appeal to ethos of an anxious and restless audience.
If a nation can’t trust a leader, they can’t live comfortably. JFK uses several persuasive appeals to inspire his audience. The purpose of his speech is to inspire, not really educate, logos are not used often throughout. Kennedy uses emotional language to include his audience in his goals. With the famous line, “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” Kennedy makes the task of bringing peace to the United States not only his responsibility but also to American peoples. This quote is an antimetabole or a repetition of words in reverse order. JFK makes the audience feel personally responsible for make America a better place. Another noticeable aspect of JFK’s inaugural address is his ability to use his language to bring out a sense of pride in the American people. The president uses forms of imagery to remind the listeners they are “The heirs of that first revolution.” The images of freedom and liberty are often used like this to prompt the audience to think of the United States as strong country. Even though the speech is largely emotion, Kennedy also uses the text to establish ethos to the citizens of the world.
Despite President Kennedy’s young age, he is expected to perform on the same level as past presidents. JFK is aware of this expectation and assures his audience in the first paragraph that, “For I have sworn before you and