John F. Kennedy is routinely characterized as one of America's greatest orators. His Inaugural Address is considered one of the greatest speeches in the twentieth- century American Public Address, and is generally counted among the great speeches in U.S. history. Virtually all who have commented on the speech consider it a success JFK was known as a people’s person, which highly affected his speech. His speech was famous for its eloquence and for its call of duty: “Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country” (JFK). In the speech JFK used several literary terms throughout the speech to identify important parts of the speech. It also interprets hard-line Cold War rhetoric that reduced global politics to an apocalyptic battle between the democracy and communism, and how he plans to get the United States out of the depression we were in. John F. Kennedy was born May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts. Kennedy’s young life due was privileged due to his dad’s success. In 1926 he moved to New York City, Kennedy’s early academic record was unimpressive for a man who would later be arguably America’s most intellectual president. Kennedy was not smart but attended Harvard University due his father’s wealth. A trip to Europe changed president JFK’s eoutlook on education and his cause for life. He spent his summer traveling Europe and returned to Harvard in the fall where he excelled in government and political courses. In 1946 Kennedy began his first of many campaigns for public office known for his slogan “A new generation offers a leader” (Kennedy). At 29 Kennedy won his first election for the U.S Representative from the 11th Congress District of Massachusetts. While still in Congress Kennedy’s eyes ... ... middle of paper ... ...gles to be free seemed, open-ended, and permanent a bold departure from the cautious policies of the past. Evaluating the legacy of John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address is difficult. Kennedy will always be seen as a man whose young, vibrant life and presidency was tragically cut short. He was the youthful, earnest visionary who might have changed the world. From the start, Kennedy's Inaugural Address was recognized as a well-written and successful speech. Kennedy's speech no doubt possessed the literary style and elegance of a great inaugural address. It rehearsed the communal values of the typical inaugural, and it aimed to unite the public in common cause. Many Americans were personally inspired by Kennedy's Inaugural Address it was clearly much more than "merely" a ceremonial speech. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address proposed a new vision of those in the United States.
Kennedy was elected president in the year of 1961. Which was during the time that the Cold War was in full swing. The Cold War being the tension filled era between the superpowers in the east and the superpowers in the west. Contrary to the other two presidents, JFK was not speaking to the American public at the time of the war 's conclusion but right near the middle of the 40 plus year issue. Regardless he was assuring the public. He stated, “...that the torch has been passed to a new generation of American-”. That optimism cannot be matched. Even at the darkest of times could he stand up there, the president of the United States, and tell the young people of America that their time is now. Not only that but he attempts to inspire Americans when he says “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”, which was definitely a knock at the Russians. JFK overall had this persona about him. This was the speech where muttered that historic and uplifting quote, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.” His message of peace and coexisting really stand the test of
Johnson wanted to continue with Kennedy’s unfinished work of the “New Frontier” after Kennedy’s term. The “Great Society” a term that Johnson coined, was one of the greatest reform agendas since Roosevelt’s “New Deal”. (US History, 2014) The great society included ideas to help put an end to poverty and of racial injustice, as well as major spen...
John F. Kennedy’s speech was revered then and it is revered now. He talks on peace and freedom will never be forgotten. JFK arrived when America was going through a rough patch and delivered a speech for the ages. His line “…My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” still applies even today. Even though John F. Kennedy’s live was tragically cut short in 1963, his speech on freedom and peace will always be remembered and it carries on with JFK’s legacy.
The timelessness of JFK and his inaugural address is highlighted in Eleanor Craft’s essay “Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration: 50 Years On”. His legacy and ideals have persevered over the decades, and will continue to do so. Although Craft’s essay and JFK’s inaugural address both utilize different stylistic elements to support their purposes, they are equally effective in conveying and proving their purposes to their audiences.
By him using multiple points he shows that he will stop at no obstacle to obtain peace. To enumerate, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty” (Kennedy). This statement enforces a tone of candid by taking action to achieve the goal of piece. Kennedy sets the mood of uplifting and reproachful by naming what he will do to chase peace and liberty. JFK is willing to bear the hardships and pain the United States would endure fighting for peace world-wide, not only to better the country but to set an example for future generations. He ushers peacefulness and liberty of nations will prevail no matter the consequences for that is what the forefathers promised. To continue, “Divided there is little we can do- for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder” (Kennedy). With nations at war a future of prosperity is compromised, although if united as one the opportunities are endless. There is a chance for more knowledge of religion, ways of life, cultures, and forms of education a peaceful world could bring. Furthermore, setting the people on the track of fighting for peace to not only better the country but themselves and future generations to
By 1961 the United States faced deep rooted social and political turmoil. Racial tensions brought by social inequality, international antagonism towards communism, and an obligation to protect the public from the weapons of mass destruction of adversaries abroad characterized the United States during said period. As the cold war approached its peak, worry and uncertainty seeped into the minds of the American people. A formidable, influential, and reassuring leader was needed. The newly elected 35th President John F. Kennedy provided such desired attributes in his inaugural address. Kennedy sought for lasting peace and unity in the hearts of all Americans and non-Americans alike facilitated by his effective rhetoric. Kennedy strategically employs
As political leaders of this nation and a critical person of American Democracy, United States Presidents, uses rhetoric appeals in their speeches and everyday lives to express their ideas and thoughts to us as a nation and congress. During a moment in United States history President John F. Kennedy was elected to be the 35th President of the United States. During the time Kennedy was elected the country and also the world was going through a lot of turmoil. The United States was going through a racial tension and social inequalities. While communism was spreading throughout the world and protecting the nation from weapons, the nation was looking for a leader in which they found in John F. Kennedy. He reassured us in his inaugural speech. Kennedy
In his speech, President Kennedy uses strategic language and verbiage to convey his purpose. He used words like freedom, renewal, faith, liberty, peace, and loyalty to evoke emotion not only from fellow Americans, but also nations around the world. JFK’s presidency began after World War II and during the Vietnam war when America desperately needed to hear these words most. His presidency fell right in the middle of pressing social injustices and the middle of the Cold War. President Kennedy mentioned several times that the work that our forefathers fought for is
President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, in his speech, the inaugural address, addresses the people of the United States. Kennedy's purpose is to emphasize his desire to cooperate with the people of the United States to improve the state of the world. He adopts a patriotic tone in order to encourage feelings of hope in his adult listeners.
Recorded as one of the shortest inaugural addresses in history, John F. Kennedy’s speech delivers a concise yet empowering counsel on resolving international problems and the United States’ duty in these issues. With a passionate and patriotic tone, Kennedy uses anaphora, parallelism, and diction to convey American values of liberty and form a closer connection with the audience.
John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address is arguably one of the most powerful speeches in American history; He calls the American people to action against violence for the sake of peace and preservation of freedom. Elected during the Cold War, Kennedy reinvigorated the American people with his patriotic attitude. The address inspires the American people to fight for liberty and peace during this time of war. His idealistic tone resonates with the American people, and his powerful diction brings importance to his goal of world peace. Kennedy’s inaugural address combines formal, abstract diction, varied sentence structure, and parallelism to create a patriotic and idealistic tone that supports
John F Kennedy delivered one of the best speeches on January 20, 1961.His inauguration speech was very powerful and it gathered the attention of every single person in the nation. It uses a strong appeal to pathos, ethos and logos. Kennedy was the youngest president to be in office. He got his degree from Harvard and later on joined the navy. He wrote “ profiles in courage” which has received one of the most recognized awards, the Pulitzer Prize. This speech had a lot of positive sides to it, but one of the most important things was that it gave him a good look from the outside. The inaugural address was written to let the citizens of America know that they could change this country for the better. It assured all voters
When Kennedy says, “The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe (Kennedy),” he is establishing the use of pathos. The emotional appeal of American Patriotism is what this quote is about, which was very important to the people of America back then because many American soldiers died during the Cold War. Kennedy then incorporates, “The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it – and the glow from that fire can truly light the world (Kennedy).” This quote shows that JFK believes in America and the generation that he is living in now, saying he would not trade this time period for anything, which really makes the people of that American generation feel
On January 20th, 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy gave a speech to the nation, which encompassed a new vision for the country with a new generation. That speech was JFK’s Inaugural Address. As the new 35th president, JFK was the youngest president to enter the oval office at the age of forty-three ("Inaugural Address."). The nation was still in in the process of healing after World War II. In the eyes of the masses, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a breath of fresh air for the American People. He was a youthful president, with his youthful image; he was able to rally the younger generations with a progressive vision. This speech was a message to the nation in which JFK outlines a new direction for The United States by securing it’s freedom, being a competitive nation in all aspects, and rallying the citizens behind the government.
When John F. Kennedy won the 1961 election by just eighty-six electoral votes, the world was fascinated. As he stood on the podium in Washington D.C., preparing to give his inauguration speech, everyone tuned in to what he had to say. As he began speaking, everyone was hearing his words and soon, people were calling it one of the best inaugural speeches ever written. Kennedy was able to connect to our country by using an emotional appeal to pull his message, successfully, off. Whether you were a hawk, a dove, or somewhere in between, John F. Kennedy saw you and spoke directly to you during his inaugural address.