In the eulogy that President John F. Kennedy gave for the lately departed poet, Robert Frost, only three out of the four common elements that Kunkel and Dennis found in eulogies can be found in this specific eulogy. The elements I found in this eulogy are positive reappraisal, praise, and problem-focused coping while self-disclosure of emotion, credibility, affirmation of vivid past relationships, and continuation of interactive bonds could not be found. John Kennedy imminently starts off with a positive reappraisal: “Robert Frost was one of the granite figures of our time in America. He was supremely two things—an artist and an American,” (lines 3-4). Kennedy is telling the thousands listening that Robert Frost not only had a good life but …show more content…
Kennedy is telling the audience that in Frost’s great life he accomplished a lot for this country. Kennedy gives a lot of praise to Frost for his accomplishments as a poet. The “special significance of Robert Frost” was that “he brought an unsparing instinct for reality to bear on the platitudes and pieties of society” and “his sense of human tragedy fortified him against self-deception and easy consolation,” (lines 19-22). John F. Kennedy admires how Frost has a realistic look on life and he shares this outlook with the rest of the world so they can also receive the benefits of this outlook. President Kennedy gave praise to this poet for knowing “the midnight as well as the high noon” and understanding “the ordeal as well as the triumph of the human spirt” because that was what “gave his age strength with which to overcome despair,” (lines 24-26). Frost was a man who understood all sides of the world and how it works. He shared this knowledge with his readers and was able to give them any necessary strength to overcome their own …show more content…
At the end of the speech Kennedy moves to the problem-focused coping element and tells the audience how they can honor the great and late Robert Frost. Keened urges society to “set the artist[s] free to follow [their] vision wherever it takes [them],” because what they create “nourish[es] the roots of our culture,” (lines 47-48). Kennedy desires that the country “never forget that art is not a form of propaganda” instead “it is a form of truth,” (lines 49). Frost was a unique artist whose vision was able to affect the world and Kennedy wants to make sure that future artist have a society that is willing to support their vision. Kennedy then makes an appeal to the artiest, he wants them to “remain true to himself and let the chips fall where they may,” (lines 55-56). If society is going to support future artist then these artist need to be true to themselves so they can make an impact on society. Kennedy does not establish any credibility in his speech, because he did not have much of a pervious relationship with Frost. The two had only met a couple of times when Frost was speaking at Kennedy’s
Kennedy used allusion in his speech as a way to convey historical liteature into their hearts. For example, Robert F. Kennedy was able to pursuade the citizens to keep the peace once more. In stanza 13 and 14, lines 1 and 2 it states,” Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world/ Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.” This means that the citizens throughout America should stay at peace for hard times are to arise. This is important because all of the United States went on a riot except Indianapolis because of Robert F. Kennedy’s
Kennedy uses an analogy in the fifth and sixth paragraphs; he compares the entire history of man to a single half century “the 50,000 years of man¹s recorded history in a time span of but a half-century.” This analogy creates a sense of urgency and need for the space program, if the world is moving forwards so fast, if America doesn’t reach the moon first someone else will. This sentiment is highlighted by the quote “The exploration of space will go on ahead, whether we join in it or not.” Kennedy constantly piqued the curiosity of the crowd, using the appeal of the unknown. Referring to “the vast stretches of the unknown”. Kennedy also links the moon goal to the fabric of the nation, continually stating “This country was conquered by those who moved forward--and so will space.” And suggesting that failure would be betraying the founding fathers of the nation. Kennedy also uses humour at key stages, to break up the seriousness of the speech. The lines “Why does Rice play Texas” and “I'm the one who is doing all the work, so we just want you to stay cool for a minute.” In the first statement Kennedy is referring to a rival university’s football team, relating the crowd to Kennedy and his goals. The other example of humour is where he was talking about the high temperatures of the sun and only a sentence later tells the audience that they should stay
He used a very selective vocabulary, purposely using emotionally charged words such as: “wholly unjustifiable and irresponsible defiance” (lines 4-5), “ruthless disregard” (line 82), and “restraint and sacrifice” (lines 14-15). By using words with strong connotation, he powers the emotions of his audience once again directing support for himself and appearing as the calm figurehead amongst the emotional chaos. He also makes his speech very personal by mentioning individual American families, literally using the phrase “every American family” (line 25). He appeals to the strong sense of patriotism in the American public by mentioning the four servicemen who died in Vietnam. Despite the fact that they are almost completely unrelated to the rise in steel prices and, if they were alive, would be unaffected by the rise in price, either. And yet, Kennedy mentions the servicemen to make the situation appear that much more dire. By mentioning the tragic deaths of these men, Kennedy aims to trigger a strong emotional response in his audience that would turn into support for
He has the audience infer that the steel companies raising their prices was what they were doing for their country, and what they were doing was not helping like Kennedy has wished. This reference back to something that had a huge impact on many people strengthens Kennedy’s point of view and helps him achieve his
Instructor Mendoza English 1B 22 July 2015. Robert Frost: Annotated Bibliography. Research Question: What are the common themes in Robert Frost's work? Robert Frost is a very successful poet from the 20th century, as well as a four time Pulitzer Prize winner.
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 wants to reassure everyone that he does not have any selfish intent, just because he is advocating for helping other countries with their poverty issues. He wants people to understand that poverty is a big issue that needs to be addressed for the betterment of the world as a whole. This increases Kennedy’s ethos because it shows that the future president is compassionate and cares for others over himself. Kennedy also makes you feel sad for all the people in poverty, and it makes you want to help. The words and phrases he uses to help secure the pathos because of how extreme his word choice is.
He states “I asked each American to consider what he would do for his country and I asked the steel companies. In the last 24 hours we had their answer” to show the differences between the actions of the people and those of the steel companies. During this period, most Americans gave up many of their comforts and requests for raises in order to support the economy and the greater good of all. However, the steel companies acquisitively raised their prices in an effort to gain more money; completely ignoring the needs of fellow Americans. Kennedy’s contrast of these actions again serves to appeal to the humanity of the steel tycoons, by demonstrating the beneficial effects Americans are having on the economy and the differing, adverse effects of the steel companies, in order to convince them to change their ways and help their fellow
Kennedy delivered has been considered to be one of the most moving speeches given by a president. He uses the emotions of the voters in his favor. Kennedy uses the fear that American’s have of going to war again, and promises them that the country will strive for peace. He vows to renew the peace with other countries, so that war and destruction will not occur again, trying to ease the mind of the weary. John F. Kennedy plays on the want that people have to help others, saying that the country will go aid covered countries. With the words of promise falling off his tongue, he tells the country that these hopes for a better tomorrow will take time. That logically that these plans will take time, that it will be longer than the people may hope for, but that he will start as soon as possible. John F. Kennedy also states SOMETHING ABOUT GOD
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...
Kennedy uses refrences from past events in history to emphasize his point of taking a risk and trying something new, and inspiring his audience. An event from 1630 is used in JFK’s speech as an allusion to make the reader feel a sense of , “William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage” (Kennedy 2). He is proving that after all the hard work, it is succesful and worth it. William Bradford created a colony by the devotion and hard work. Kennedy is relating himself and the country to Bradford, showing the audience that it is possible. Using an example from history makes the audience more committed to landing on the moon when they think the probability for success is high. It gives off the encouraging thought of, “if they did it, we can do it”, which is exactly what JFK was trying to succeed. Kennedy also uses an allusion to exaggerate to sudden change in tecchnology and show how advanced this country...
...res, also President John F. Kennedy was quite the fan of Frost, but his first response to learning that Frost would speak at his inauguration was “downright diva-esque”. "He's a master of words and I'm going to be sure he doesn't upstage me," Kennedy told U.S. Representative Stewart Udall. "Let's not have him give any kind of a speech, or they'll remember what he said and not what I said. Maybe we can have him recite a poem.” (2)
Robert Frost put a great deal of emotion, pain, devotion, nature and the aspects of life into his works. His works
The vivid imagery, symbolism, metaphors make his poetry elusive, through these elements Frost is able to give nature its dark side. It is these elements that must be analyzed to discover the hidden dark meaning within Roberts Frost’s poems. Lines that seemed simple at first become more complex after the reader analyzes the poem using elements of poetry. For example, in the poem Mending Wall it appears that Robert frost is talking about two man arguing about a wall but at a closer look the reader realizes that the poem is about the things that separate man from man, which can be viewed as destructive. In After Apple Picking, the darkness of nature is present through the man wanting sleep, which is symbolic of death. It might seem that the poem is about apple picking and hard work but it is actually about the nature of death.