On the 20th January 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy delivered an excellent speech to the American citizens after he was sworn as the 35th president of the States (Kennedy n.p). The inauguration address that he gave was exceptional that it captured the attention of the entire nation. It was integrated with powerful quotes some of which are still remembered today. The speech was released at a time when the United States of America was struggling with social inequalities and racial tension. The nation was not settled because there was fear as the cold war neared its peak, so John Kennedy gave an assurance to his citizens through delivering that speech to summon a sense of unity to them. John Kennedy’s inaugural presentation used ethos, logos, and pathos targeting to influence the people’s sentiments through its
...assurance while maintaining the respect anticipated from a president or a leader by his followers.
The inaugural speech of John Kennedy consists of ethos and a sense of persuasiveness, which he used as an inspiring tool to capture the minds as well as the hearts of his people. He was wise to include himself as part of the audience he is addressing since in most parts of his speech, he uses, us, our and we. That was an excellent way to show his involvement or his dedication to his people. Through the support of the political parties, he argues that” it was not the victory of a party, but a celebration of freedom” (Kennedy n. p). He states that statement to encourage unity in the nation regardless of the different parties divided by trivial matters.
The inaugural presentation that was addressed by Joh
Kennedy was structured with the intention to demonstrate his loyalty to his followers and his plan to defend them from all the enemies in a peaceful manner. He aimed at different audiences with different messages through that speech in that, as he assured safety to his allies and at the same time he warned his enemies in a wise way. The pathos acted as a direct message to all his listeners and that his audience collectively consisted of individuals united together. On this ground, he declares that “through alliance and peace, we can assure the survival and success of the liberty” (Kennedy n. p).
Alliteration was part of the key elements that made Kennedy’s speech hilarious. Words such as “same solemn” and “to friend and foe alike” are some of the alliteration phrases that are found in Kennedy’s speech. In literature, speech and poetry, alliteration play a preliminary role in adding the textural complexity thus attracting the audience. Kennedy was always cautious of the specific literary devices that would match his message and ensure that the audience not only enjoyed the flow of the words from his mouth but also get the appropriate message. Since alliteration instills more emphasis in a speech, it is clear that JFK used this literary device in phrases and content where he needed to convey a very crucial point. JFK’s use of alliteration was so effective that the audience could feel the mood and the rhythm of his speech. It was far much interesting to listen to JFK’s speech because the audience would still understand the meaning of his alliterations Eve without comprehending the meaning of the words that he used.
His use of alliteration also resulted to a humorous speech that was very entertaining to the listeners. JKF leads the listener to question themselves as to what they ought to do to make the situation better.
The speech uses the essence of comparing between different situations. It is a style that is meant to lead the people of America into looking at their current situation. It leads them to view how the society would be if people took responsibility. He highlights that the American people should ask themselves how they can make a difference in America as opposed to sitting down and questioning what America will do for them. Contrasting the two situations enables people to learn on the issue of depending on help and that individuals make the difference. He quotes that “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich (Kennedy n. p). It is through such statements that JKF impacted reasoning to the people of America.
Parallelism is used extensively in the speech in an effort to allow JKF to maintain a flow of his ideas and consistency in the message that he was trying to deliver. He says that “meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe” (Kennedy n. p). The statement draws people to compare the situations of the various presented statements. At a time where there was war and people were bound to be discouraged and afraid, some of the issues they would handle were enemies and hardships. It was key that JKF communicated the importance of people standing together and being close at such a time. He additionally says
that “For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt.” He is putting the situation of doubt and indicating the need to go beyond the doubt in order to ensure that the nation goes beyond the difficult situation that it was in at the time.
The use of metaphors has been extensively used in the speech. A metaphor is meant to give a deeper meaning to a sentence that is said by JKF. JKF says that “the torch has been passed to the new generation” ” (Kennedy n. p). In an America where people had held certain beliefs based on how things were run traditionally and where there was discrimination, racism, and constant war. It was essential that JKF highlighted the need to change the way of thinking of a new America. The torch could mean a new dawn where things were different and people had to change. The new generation was the people who would take America and lead it to the heights that it was meant to go. In another statement, he indicates that “those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside” (Kennedy n. p). It could be taken to highlight the importance of justice as opposed to leading and acquiring power by force. He meant to indicate to the people that there was a need for a free and fair justice system. And those that did not adhere would find themselves being judged by the same systems that they were using against the people of America.
The use of anaphora is highlighted in the speech through the repetition of the sentiments
of JKF. It was important for the president to ensure that the message that he was passing to the people of America was engraved in their systems. It was to ensure that he appealed to the feelings and the emotions of the people of America and stirred a need for change that was not temporary but permanent. He persistently highlights the need for unity in Americans, the fight to ensure that there was peace and for people not to be afraid. In one instance he said “explore what problems unite us” and in another “but what together we can do for the freedom of man” (Kennedy n. p). In both instances, he highlights that it is through the people working together that peace would prevail in the country. The emphasis throughout the speech of JKF was in ensuring that he brings the people of America together. It was based on whether one person was poor or the other rich and the other was white and the other black. His message was to draw people to fight for America and not against themselves.
References
- KENNEDY, JOHN FITZGERALD. JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY Speech. 1961. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
- Kennedy, John. "John F. Kennedy Quotations - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum". N.p., 1961. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
