Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy's Moral Speech

John F. Kennedy, also known as JFK, is perhaps the most-loved president in American history. Our 35th President of the United States served from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. Although he was young and did not get to serve his full term he accomplished many great things. All these documents embody the beginning of an admirable presidency and the commencement of a new hope for a nation gone forlorn.     Kennedy served at the pinnacle of the Cold War and spent a large fragment of his presidency focusing on managing relations with the Soviet Union.

John F. Kennedy, the United States 35th President, delivered his famous inaugural speech on January 20, 1961. He developed his idea by using metaphor and emotion-arousing words to inspired citizens to fight against enemies and warned the foes not to challenge America any more. JFK’s purpose was to encourage citizens not to give in to the enemies and admonished the country’s communist opponents for their frequent defiance. By using metaphor and emotion-arousing words, JFK expressed his passionate tone successfully in order to convey his idea to USA, USSR and others.

Freedom Is Ringing We are inspired by great speeches because of the way they are rhetorically crafted to make us feel. The best speeches are not the ones that are informational, it’s the ones that tug at our heartstrings. John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, Martin L. King ’s I Have a Dream Speech, and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms State of the Union Address use a variety of literary devices in their speech to motivate and cajole their audiences to defend our liberties.

Delivering the speech, Kennedy expressed compassionate and hopeful words to his audience. His view of freedom is something that makes its way through peace and negotiation. Kennedy states, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us” (16). This is a perfect example of Kennedy’s meaning towards freedom. He wants all nations to look at the things that join them together and can relate to rather than the things that guide them away from each other.

John F. Kennedy discusses and analyzes on how the nation differs from the past and present day in that time period. Kennedy narrators on the division and war in the the world to appeal to the audience patriotism by using pathos and logos. In this speech President Kennedy states “to thoses who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request; that both sides begin the quest for peace, before the dark power of destruction unleashed.” He uses this quote to obtain a logical appeal to the appeal to the people. Kennedy uses logos to show that he wants the nation to come together and be humble together in one peace.

John F. Kennedy uses literary devices to capture the attention of the audience, sets himself equal to his audience getting their attention and support, and uses the christian religion to strike the emotions and gain the support of his audience. Kennedy uses many literary devices to catch the attention of his audience. One of these devices is repetition. One example of repetition that Kennedy uses is, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.

In his speech Kennedy uses different rhetorical devices to unify the citizens of both the United States and the world. Kennedy was giving this speech after winning by a very small margin of votes so he was trying to unite the people of the United States and show he was the correct choice for the president. This speech was given during the Cold War so he was trying to connect the people around the whole world and establish peace. Kennedy was able to unify the people and try to establish peace while at the same time making himself seem like a very competent leader. In his speech Kennedy tries to build his credibility as a personable leader by creating ethos.

John F. Kennedy was known for his charming, charismatic, and relatable personality which significantly attributed to him winning the presidency in 1960. These admirable characteristics of his were easily seen in his speeches as U.S. senator and as president, in which it was apparent he not only had the charm, but also incorporated his personal values into his administration as a public servent. One speech in particular which highlights this fact is his “City Upon a Hill” speech. John F. Kennedy’s “City Upon a Hill” speech was given on Jan. 9th 1961 as his final speech prior to being sworn in as president, which he delivered to the general court of Massachusetts. In this speech, Kennedy compared the impending challenges of his presidency to the troubles facing the first Puritan settlers of Massachusetts in the 1600's in John Winthrop’s original “city upon a hill” speech.

In 1962, in the midst of the international space race, steel prices in the U.S. began to rise. In this speech delivered by John F. Kennedy, he claims that there is no justification for these increasing steel prices through the use of logos and pathos. Whilst attempting to convince and create reason for steel companies to reduce their prices, JFK employs the use of logic-best argumentation in order to convey his message. However, at times, because his audience isn't merely citizens of the country but also executives of the steel companies, the line between pathos and logos is subtle, for he appeals to the emotions general American public through the use of verifiable data.

“In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our despair, against our will comes wisdom through the awful grace of God”(24-30). RFK used this quote to say people may want to stay angry and bitter, but anger will eventually be replaced with wisdom and understanding no matter how much they try to fight it. Kennedy recognizes his audience as Americans, but especially

These three pieces all share a common goal but approach that goal in a variety of ways. John F, Kennedy’s inaugural address is known as one of the most impactful and authoritative of all United States presidents. In his speech Kennedy includes personal goals, challenges to US citizens, religious elements, and warnings to other nations. Some of the

In fact, Kennedy accomplished his goal and is still remembered today, as the best speech ever written and delivered. Kennedy presents his speech with strong Aristotelian appeals of ethos, pathos and the stylistic devices of alliteration and antithesis. Kennedy accomplished what every speaker strives for and surpassed it by capturing the hearts of the audience and inspiring the people’s trust. Ethos is a very important rhetorical device in speeches because it establishes a sense of credibility and trustworthiness with the audience. Ethos permits the audience to feel a sense of trust that is missing in some people’s speeches.

John F. Kennedy was a very successful speaker and president. The country was very segregated and going through major hardships. John made this speech after he discovered that he won the election. In his most renowned speech “Inaugural Address”, the 35th president uses parallelism and extended metaphors to persuade the audience throughout the speech. John’s speech “Inaugural Address” is a very well written and thought about speech.

On April 4, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was in Indianapolis for a campaign stop, when he received news that Martin Luther King was killed, causing Kennedy to write and deliver a speech regarding the assassination. This speech was succinct but not only was it about the assassination, it was also to tell the people there is still wisdom and hope in this time of turmoil. To reach this purpose, he first builds up his ethos, uses pathos to add mood and hope, and unifies the people. The combination of these elements makes it a very powerful and memorable speech. Robert F. Kennedy builds his credibility by relating his personal experience and knowledge of what the audience is feeling to the current events.

John F. Kennedy inaugural address was said by historians to be one of the shortest ever, but was one of the most powerful. He spoke on topics like liberty, peace, democratic freedom, and human rights that affect everyone in the world. Kennedy then urges the American people to stay united, stop human anguish, find peace with our enemies to avoid destruction. Kennedy also emphasizes that his victory in the presidential election should be looked at as a “celebration of freedom” that symbolizes an end, and a renewal as well as a new beginning of change. Then Kennedy talks about the global alliance of “North and South, East and West” for generation to come.