Rhetorical Analysis Of Lyndon B Johnson's Inaugural Address

“I speak tonight for the dignity of man and destiny of Democracy.” This was the initial declaration that included alliteration that Lyndon B. Johnson made while giving his influential civil rights speech on March 15, 1965. This very powerful movement was taking place in the southern states of America, by numerous African Americans obstructed from freedom and equality. His purpose was to bring about equality and end separation amongst races in America. In the speech, President Johnson made it abundantly clear of his intentions by seizing the spectators with well-known literary devices and persuasive techniques. His plentiful use of anaphora and pathos appeals attracted attention, and encouraged listeners to embrace social change. President Johnson was successful in his attempt to bring the congress to a decision that would help unite America.

In the opening of his speech he effectively placed grief in our hearts by stating that there was “long suffering men and women” that tried to calmly protest and “were brutally assaulted” and a preacher was even slain. When this was said, congress began to sympathize with him. He too used parallelism by linking “Lexington and Concord” with the events that transpired “last week in Selma, Alabama” referring to the violence that erupted that day and successfully changed the viewpoint of Congress. He also used the method of allusion by referencing the American Revolution. Additionally, he used diction repetitively throughout by choosing similar words to make it seem like everyone’s problem. For example he said “Rarely are we met with a challenge, not to our growth” and by using phrases such as “we” and “our,” he addresses the concern as a collective issue. Similarly, by repeating “our” several times, he is using anaphora to emphasize his