The death of a president in office is often a pivotal time for a nation. The people of that nation can choose from a host of ways to deal with the situation. The most powerful rhetoric after such a loss often comes not in words, but in pictures. These photographs can make more powerful arguments, more subtly than words ever could.
On November 22, 1963, President John F Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald mortally wounded the president with three shots fired from the sixth floor of the Texas Book Depository. President Kennedy was pronounced dead half an hour later at a Dallas hospital. Three days later, Kennedy’s body was transported in a horse-drawn caisson from the Capitol Rotunda to St. Matthews Catholic Cathedral and on to Arlington Cemetery--followed by a riderless black horse--while over one hundred thousand people watched along the streets. Leaders from nearly one hundred nations were present at the state funeral.
The argument, or text, in question is a black and white photograph of a riderless horse that marched in the funeral procession for President John F Kennedy taken by Joel Aronson on November 25, 1963. The title is simple and caption like due to the fact that it ran in The Dallas Morning News: “John F Kennedy’s Riderless Horse”. There are empty boots hanging backwards in the stirrups and the horse is being led by a member of the military in full dress. The main focal point of the photograph is the horse, however the photo also incorporates members of the crowd who are presumably watching the funeral procession. Most of the crowd appear to be dressed for a funeral or other somber occasion. The key concepts of Bitzer’s method work well to analyze the rhetor...
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... subject matter. A wider angle or color photo would have diminished the strength of the argument by shifting the focus. The style of the photograph is important to the argument. The use of black and white photography is more dramatic and lends a more somber tone. It also allows for more contrast between the black horse and the background. The angle that the photograph was taken at is also important because it causes the sunlight to highlight the horse and the backward boot. The lighting also causes the crowd to fade into the background which further highlights the horse and handler.
This photograph serves as an effective piece of rhetoric. It responds to the death of President Kennedy in a way that allows individual viewers to eulogize the fallen and perhaps find closure. It also provides a tribute to the president in a way that’s not too heavy handed or obvious.
Opening with the event of McKinley’s shooting and the man who shot him, Rauchway quickly zooms out, distancing us from the scene, reflecting on the political status of the President, who “in the instant before he was shot” had “stood at the peak of hi...
John F. Kennedy’s assassination has been a mystery since it happened in 1993. John F. Kennedy was shot in a moving car in Dallas, Texas. The murder surprised the nation in a time of peace and calmness, It was also “... the first time the vivid immediacy of such acts was brought into the homes of millions” (“The Warren
Having such an image before our eyes, often we fail to recognize the message it is trying to display from a certain point of view. Through Clark’s statement, it is evident that a photograph holds a graphic message, which mirrors the representation of our way of thinking with the world sights, which therefore engages other
...ntroversial photograph in a different light as he cuts to several scenes in which the photo’s fabrication takes place. Siding with Oswald, Stone again promotes the case that Oswald was not Kennedy’s assassin. Because of the deceit, characters both in and out of the movie recognize the possible falsehood of Oswald’s conviction. This gives them the option to formulate opinions of their own, for the two notions they are familiar with are now equal in likelihood.
“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.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy delivered one of the most important American speeches after being sworn in as president on January 20, 1961. His inauguration speech was so influential that it seized the nation’s attention, and quotes from it are still clearly remembered by people today. It is considered one of the best speeches ever written and ever delivered. It presents a strong appeal to pathos, ethos, and logos and accomplishes what any speaker strives for – it speaks straight to the heart of the audience and inspires people.
On the 22nd of November of 1963, the world was forever changed in a short six seconds. On this date, the United States lost one of its most beloved leadership figures. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot and killed by an assassin while riding through downtown Dallas, Texas. This event sent shock waves throughout the nation and people were stunned in disbelief. The 35th President was shot and killed by gunman Lee Harvey Oswald, who was arrested by Dallas police shortly after the assassination. The assassin Oswald was camping out in the Texas School Book Depository building, where he fired three shots from a rifle towards the President’s motorcade. The scene was captured in Dealey Plaza at approximately 12:30pm. His status was elevated
The year of 1963 would be the year that would forever be remembered as the time when President John Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. On a warm Friday afternoon in downtown Dallas, perched on the top floor of the Texas School Book Depositary, Lee Harvey Oswald set aim on one of the more popular presidents of all time. This event impacted the history of the United States, and is one of the most talked about killings of all time.
Not too long ago, the 50 year anniversary of the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy was remembered. Many historians claim that his policies were mediocre and average. But what makes Kennedy stand out among the rest of the presidents? Historians suggest that he is among the most popular presidents, if not the most popular one. So what makes Americans see Kennedy as such a memorable president? Was it his childhood and his family history? Was it the series of unfortunate events that led to his path to the presidency? Was it his policies? Or was it the way most Americans remember him, because of the way he died? John Fitzgerald Kennedy could be among the most memorable presidents because of all these ideas combined. If one little thing about the way he grew up hadn’t happened the way it did then he may not be the incredible president we remember him as.
The Civil Rights Address given by John F Kennedy was an influential and moving speech that sought to free blacks from the on growing oppression in the United States. John F Kennedy’s speech was given to address the American public on the brutality of discrimination. His point was to convince the public that is was time to give the blacks the rights the constitution gives them. The picture I chose to go with it also revolves around the Civil Rights movement and is title “I am a man”. This picture shows a large group of African American man holding signs saying “I am a man”. Both JFK’s Speech and the picture “I am a man” utilize the appeals to convince readers of a specific side. For JFK’s Speech he seems to use all three approached to convince us that discrimination is just as cruel and vile as slavery. As for the photo “I am a man” it uses the approach of only pathos to communicate the point.
In many ways John F. Kennedy’s decision to have this speech as well as the contents itself, reflected how he was instrumental to success in keeping the public calm. The president could hav...
War has always been inevitable throughout the history of the world. The outcomes can differ greatly; it’s usually either a win or a loss. Wins or losses are just definite statements, but photos can represent these statements. Alfred Eisenstaedt’s “V-J Day in Times Square” shows an American sailor kissing a young woman right in the middle of Times Square, despite their surroundings. This iconic photo was taken after the U.S. declared victory over Japan in World War II, and was published in Life magazine a week later. John Gap’s (III) photo shows a young girl being consoled at a soldier’s funeral in a local high school gymnasium, later to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. This humble photo was taken during the war still raging in Afghanistan, showing that these types of losses happen quite often, as there are no iconic photos for Afghanistan compared to the photo shot after the win over World War II. Unlike its counterpart, this photo was published only at a local level on a website. Both these photos show a soldier being dismissed to go home from war. Although the two photos share that common factor, the scenario in which the soldier comes home differs greatly. Through these photos, Albert Eisenstaedt and John Gaps III help evoke pathos and give the observer a sense of the pride and the devastation felt of a home coming from war using photographic elements such as framing, focus, and angles.
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…” (Kennedy). Kennedy’s usage of “we” rather than “I” gives the audience a sense that they exist as part of something big, perhaps a family, while portraying Kennedy as a people’s president who desires to be a “person in the crowd.” Throughout his address, Kennedy establishes pathos mainly by appealing to American patriotism, a significant concept during the Cold War period in which Americans needed a jingoistic spirit to succeed. By reminding his audience of their forefathers and instigating parallels between “the first revolution” and the present generation, “born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage,” the president grasps the attention of the audience. He even stresses the value of liberty and this generation’s dedication to the survival of that value to rou...
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. He was assassinated by well known stage actor John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, while Abraham attending a play, “Our American Cousin,” at the ford theater in Washington D, C. This paper will examine the reason behind the assassination which were victory of the North in Civil War, and the rumor that Lincoln was going to abolish slavery. Therefore, Booth decided to kill Abraham Lincoln who was the symbol of the Union and Freedom.
Kennedy might have had his head in the clouds when preforming this speech, no man could have accomplished all that he set out to do in such a short time, but that was not the point. As Kennedy stood on that podium in Washington D.C. and the world tuned in to hear him, they weren’t listening for every flaw they could find. They were looking for someone to stand up there and let them hear what they had been missing for so long now. And as he wrapped up his speech, he was doing it. Kennedy was able to look right at every American, whether a hawk, a dove, or anywhere in the middle, and connect to them. The newly elected President of the United States successfully stood on that podium and made a lasting emotional appeal to the citizens of this country that swung their support in favor of Kennedy further, and unionized us behind a common man and a common cause, the betterment of this