Kirsta Glaister CAS 100C Analyzing the rhetorical situation of RFK’s speech on MLK Robert F. Kennedy was campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States on April 4, 1968. He was on his way to Indianapolis, Indiana for a rally that was being held in an inner-city black neighborhood. On the way to the rally, Kennedy was informed of the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. Once he arrived he delivered his emotional impromptu speech to the crowd instead of the campaign speech that the crowds expected. Considering that this crowd was there for a democratic campaign speech, one would assume that the crowd size was fairly large and consisted of a somewhat similar, yet still diverse audience. According to Lewis Sussman, …show more content…
Although the audience had originally gathered to expose themselves to a campaign message that was important to them, it quickly changed into something they were not prepared for. Prior to making an initial statement of the assassination, Kennedy starts his speech using Pathos, stating that he has emotional news to share and requests that the crowd lower their campaign signs, “…I have some -- some very sad news for all of you -- Could you lower those signs, please?” (American Rhetoric, 2001). This not only removes the political element from the speech, but allows Kennedy to speak as a fellow human being and links himself personally to the …show more content…
King, Kennedy proceeds to empathize with the crowd and calls upon his own ethos, reminding them of the assassination of his own brother. “I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.” (American Rhetoric, 2001). He brings up this incident to prove an important point, which gains the attention of the audience makes the message stand out. He included the fact that JFK was shot by a white man to demonstrate to the crowd that violence is not restricted to white on black, or black on black, but that it has no boundaries. The addition of this detail was to decrease the crowd’s anger toward white people after Dr. King’s death. The ethos in Kennedy’s speech is fortified with passion, concern, and a commitment to carry on Dr. King’s legacy and he relays this in such a way that makes his message easy to follow. He plans and finishes his speech in a manner that makes his words clear to listeners, states his points plainly so the audience can identify with them, and repeats the key point of what is needed in the United States (Zarefsky, 2011), “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness…” (American Rhetoric, 2001). The repetition of these words drives across the significance of
Two great men who stood their ground and fought for what they believed in gave two incredible speeches in the 1960s that may have changed America forever. These two men had no idea what this country would accomplish after these great addresses. John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther king’s speeches to the nation appeal to emotions, call action to different audiences, and have differing opinions on the nation that make them comparable but not completely different.
First of all, Robert F. Kennedy was able to use repetition in his speech. The U.S. at the time was in a contradicting state to the degree that racism and prejudism was normal. In stanza 3, line 1 it states,”In this difficult day, in these difficult times for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of nation we are and what direction we want to move in.” This means that after MLK Jr. got assasinated, many people feared what sort of society we live on. Robert F. Kennedy makes this an important topic by using repetition because he goes straight to the point. Robert F. Kennedy was able to inspire people in Indianapolis to prolong peace and to be open minded on times of grief.
Bill Clinton delivered a speech the day the Alfred P. Murrah building was bombed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Robert F. Kennedy delivered a speech in Indianapolis, Indiana the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, the day the speeches were delivered was almost 30 years apart, but they shared a lot of common purposes. One common purpose
“Born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage.” (Miss, Daly, Pg.). This show the U.S. people that he really loves this country and really cares about what’s going on and what happens to it in the future. Another way he brings pathos into his speech is by the language/words he uses in his speech. When he is talking he uses a lot of words like “we”, “us”. This makes the U.S. people feel very connected to him and makes the feel like they are a part of it to, it is like they made the decision to vote him president and now they get to help him make his decisions about the future of America. In his address he says “In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” (Miss, Daly, Pg.). which again he connects to the people by making them feel involved and by basically saying the future of America is even more in our hands then in his and it really depends on us in how we want America to turn out, and again makes the U.S people feel very patriotic and proud of their country. Overall John F Kennedy was very successful in persuading the U.S. people about their choice by using pathos and by just talking to
“If a free society can not help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”(Kennedy, 1961) Statements such as these demonstrate how Kennedy appealed to the citizens by simply using reason. The use of logos in his speech was minimal compared to the use of pathos, and ethos.
This speech proves that Kennedy had a way with words and knew the best way to get a message across. He clearly expressed his feelings but did so without letting them take over. He didn’t scream or shout, but showed he could handle his anger while still letting it shine through. Kennedy used the three appeals, strong diction and syntax, and a well-organized structure of his ideas to convey his purpose; Raise anger in Americans and side with them, while making the steel companies feel guilty for their
In conclusion, this speech was structured beautifully. Its use of figurative and expressive language makes it an unforgettable speech. Kennedy does a great job of using pathos, ethos, and logos to reiterate his commitment to the American public as well as discuss expected changes. Given the state of the world at the time of his inauguration, the decision to rely so heavily on pathos and ethos was a wise one which got the job done. His use of the rhetoric triangle effectively conveys Kennedy’s plan for America to not only her citizens, but to the world.
He does this for the reason that he wants to reiterate that American virtues are at the foundations of the people and not the government. Furthermore he creates his earnest tone through parallelism, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” This is earnest on the grounds that he not only shows what they need to do, but shows them what they have been doing wrong. His tone was also contemplative in the fact that Kennedy reflects on the issue of nuclear war and the consequences that it entails. The mention of a nuclear crisis intentionally unites everyone, both Republicans and Democrats, in a common goal to defeat a tangible enemy.
Kennedy used rhetorical devices including logos, ethos and pathos to show America that he was best for the job, as well as bring much needed hope to the people of the United States as well as the
The emotion in his speech is perfectly used by making the American people feel truly responsible for the well-being of our country. John F. Kennedy 's logic was the best example of ethos, pathos, and logos that he used in this speech; with quotes like “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor; it cannot save the few who are rich.”, and “ Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”. With all the uses of ethos, pathos, and logos he defended the vision of our forefathers and that the world could be a better place. All this speaking not only to the United States, but the
In the speech, “There Comes a Time When the People Get Tired,” by Martin Luther King Jr., King’s goal is to persuade. King wants to persuade that African American’s want and deserve their rights, but if they have to protest to receive them. He believes that the protest have to be peaceful and prove a point. King is effective in his persuasion because he uses pathos, figurative language, loaded language and more.
Since the main reason of his sermon is to inspire rather than educate, Kennedy rarely uses any logical pleads. Yet, Kennedy adequately uses passionate dialect to make the people sense their involvement in what all the President says. Kennedy composes the assignment to bring back tranquility and good-wealth as not only his aim, but of the public as well. With famed verses like, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” Kennedy makes the spectators feel inclined to make an impact in the world they live. Apart from infusing a sense of obligation in the crowd, Kennedy’s greatest element in his speech was the aptitude to arouse a feeling of esteem in the audience. Kennedy constantly uses phrases about freedom and sovereignty to remind the people they still are. “The heirs of that first revolution.” This dialect portrays America as a powerful and patriarch republic that possesses greater philanthropy of all the other nations around the world. Even though much of the address is fervent in tone, Kennedy devotes a large section of his topic to outline his ethos to all inhabitants of the world. JFK introduced the use of ethos at the inception of his address. Kennedy was very young when he came into office, but he was still obliged to act at the same status as former presidents. Attentive to this condition, Kennedy
On August 28, 1963, the legendary Martin Luther King Jr. gave his empowering speech, demanding equality among the African American and white race, and the injustices that have proved the conditions unequal between the two races. In his speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses many rhetorical devices to convey the idea that whites have brutally mistreated blacks for hundreds of years, even though, as a group, they have paved the nation, laying the foreground of the United States.
The way logos were used in his speech greatly assured the public that action needed to be taken immediately. He provided both reasoning and logic to better forward his point that a change needed to be made. One area specifically he states, “The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the state in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing high school”. The statistics that John F Kennedy provides seriously strengthen his argument, with logic and statistics to back up his argument it creates a stronger pull. John F. Kennedy also makes the statement “.about one-seventh as much chance of earning $10,000 a year,” showing the difference in wages between African Americans and Caucasians.... ...
In his prominent 1961 Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy extensively employs pathos, parallelism, antithesis, and varied syntax to captivate millions of people, particularly to persuade them to stand together and attempt to further human rights for the “betterment” of the world. Kennedy’s effective use of various rhetorical styles succeeds in persuading his audience –the world and the U.S. citizens—that his newly-seized position as the U.S. President will be worthwhile for all. Evident throughout his entire address, Kennedy employs a cogent pathos appeal to keep his audience intrigued. This can be demonstrated when Kennedy initially proclaims: “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” who he urges to be “unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of.human rights to which this nation has always been committed.”