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Summary of john f kennedy's inaugural speech
Summary of john f kennedy's inaugural speech
Jfk inaugural address summary
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Throughout history, the inaugural address is the new president's first opportunity to address the nation as President of the United States. Most will use this time to discuss their plans and initiatives for their presidential term. John F. Kennedy’s 1691 inaugural address is considered to be one of the most memorable speeches in American history. This particular time marked a turning point in history; a new younger generation of Americans was taking over who had fought in WWII, knew about the Cold War and nuclear weapons and was ready to move the country forward, make it better in order to lead the world.The youngest president to date, lays out his plan to lead the nation and rallies citizens to get positively involved in serving their country and that freedom must prevail. Kennedy’s use of syntax, diction, and …show more content…
One reason being because he refers to different groups of people including American citizens, foes, religious, allies to name a few. These abstract words allow his audience to interpret the ideas Kennedy mentions in their own different ways.Words such as freedom, poverty, devotion, loyalty and sacrifice set the tone in a serious and eloquent manner that sets the occasion of him taking his position of presidency in America. Moreover, Kennedy uses formal rhetorical tropes such as “riding back of the tiger and ended up inside” and “sister republics” to make his main points dynamic. These two are examples of one of many metaphors and personification he uses. Kennedy uses archaic words such as foe, writ, anew, beachhead to create a formal quality within the speech indicating the period of time it was taken place.Kennedy uses unique language and word choice is successful, as they leave the reader or listener with an understanding of Kennedy and his cause and a desire to face the challenges
The purpose of an “inaugural address” is to inform the people of his or her intentions as a leader. Two of the most prominent inaugural addresses throughout history are Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s and Barack Obama’s. Franklin Roosevelt’s inaugural address stands the test of time because it gave the American people hope that they may overcome the terrible Great Depression. Similarly, Barack Obama’s address is well known because it inspired millions that we will be lifted out of economic crisis, but it was also remembered as the first inaugural address from an African American president. The inauguration speeches of Franklin Roosevelt and Barack Obama use the rhetorical devices parallelism, allusions, and emotive language to convey their messages
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
It was on January 20th 1961 that John F Kennedy gave his inaugural address after winning the presidential race and beating future president Richard Nixon. President, John F Kennedy in his speech, The Inaugural Address, he describes his plans for growth in America. Kennedy’s purpose is unite the people of the U.S. and bring everyone together for the good cause of promoting growth in the country. He creates a very inspirational tone in order to establish a connection with the U.S. people. In his speech Kennedy really used several rhetorical strategies of persuasion to motivate and persuade the U.S. people that they made the right choice in choosing him.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States. He graduated from Harvard, and joined the navy. He worked as a reporter before entering the political arena. He later wrote “profiles in courage” which won the Pulitzer Prize Award. Being that JFK was the youngest president to ever be in office there is no doubt that he encountered a lot of skepticism. This speech had many purposes but most importantly it gave him positive recognition. The inaugural address was written to encourage the American public to get actively involved with their country. It also reassured them that it was not a contest that he won but rather chance at a beginning. This speech reassured the voters that they made the right choice and informed a country that they were going to see some changes.
To begin, Kennedy gave the exigence and explained what the current situation was in America. He gives his thesis to let the audience know what his feelings are, and what the main point of the speech is going to be. The first sentence discusses the steel companies raising their prices which, “constitutes a wholly unjustifiable and irresponsible defiance of the public interest” (2-3). This sentence sets up the rest of the speech and what can be expected to follow. After giving the exigence and thesis, Kennedy expands on the issue in the paragraphs that proceed. His ideas flow right from one to the next. Beginning with the issues in America, the steel companies raised prices, national security, and finally how it affects Americans.
On a bitter cold, snow-laden, 1961 January morning, twenty thousand people waited in front of Capital Hill to listen to John F Kennedy’s (JFK) inaugural address. Besides that, his audience included eighty million Americans viewing it on televisions, and about three billion listening over the radio. JFK was elected during a time period in which the United States seemed to be at its peak. The mood from the 1950’s was that of an affluent society, a capitalistic golden age where there was a classless middle class, a rise in white-collar job, and very high paying unionized blue-collar jobs. However, there were also underlying inequalities, like the race divisions in the south, and a great fear of confrontation with communistic countries. Additionally, JFK’s predecessor created an inactive government of insufficient action and only went so far as to placate problems but not solve them. JFK needed to convince the country to change. His purpose was to challenge to young generation to get involved and contribute to society,
John F Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States and at 43 years old he was the youngest president to take office. Because of his youth, he stumbled upon much skepticism from his opposition and even a little from his supporters. Kennedy’s inauguration speech was so vital because he needed to make a quick and powerful first impression to America and to the entire world. The address was written to encourage American citizens to get involved with their country and with the issues of the time. This speech reassured the voters that they made the correct choice and informed the country that changes were on there way.
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
John F. Kennedy was elected president on November 8, 1960. This was a particularly rough time in the world. The United states along with several nations were being threatened by poverty, tyranny, disease, communism, and war and weapons. During this time John F. Kennedy, our 35th elected president, gave one of the top four historical speeches of all time. The use of ethos, pathos, and logos where fair and showed how knowledgeable he was about his topic, and makes a clear claim about his topic that the people of The United states and its fellow nations needed to step up to make this world a better place. His intention was to show despite he was the youngest president ever elected, he would be a great leader, and that he will bring change as long as the people were there to help. He wanted to exhort the American people and the world that there is hope.
John F kennedy was the 35th president to be sworn into office in the US. He did a number of wonderful things for our country throughout his presidency, but the first most memorable was when he lifted the spirits of millions of Americans with his Inaugural Address on January 20th, 1961. In order to fully understand why his speech is one of the best American speeches one must first know the reason behind his speech, secondly, the significance of his speech to the people of the US, and lastly how his speech impacted the people of the US. There are plenty of reasons why JFK gave his inaugural address.
As emblematic representatives of their country, U.S. Presidents exercise their beliefs and concepts regularly through the use of eloquence. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected president of the United States in 1960. Kennedy became president during times of great danger and fear for the nation of America, and others around the globe. With Communism being further more popular, and large weapon’s being frequently produced all around the world, the people of America needed a new premier commander. As the youngest elected official to ever govern the White House, Kennedy wanted to show his genuineness as a ruler, and verify that his presidency would lead to great hope and future. The president’s inaugural address allows the president to lay out his
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
The inaugural address is way for a president coming to office, to show the nation what his goals and aspirations for the presidency hold. JFK’s inaugural address began with the core beliefs of which this nation abides by. This is seen in a statement during the first part of the address. In this statement 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,
(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 rouse this patriotic spirit.... ...