First draft of JFK rhetorical analysis essay
On Friday, January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave his inaugural address in Washington D.C. to the citizens of the United States and the world. Kennedy's speech defined his short presidency during a crucial time in American history. The rhetorical choices Kennedy made throughout his entire speech, including ethos, direct address, anaphora, and antimetabole, strengthen the effectiveness of his word choices and his ability to convey a compelling message that conveys the importance of peace and civil service to the American people.
Kennedy's inaugural address to the country relied heavily on his ethos. At the exact moment that he was sworn in as President of the United States, he understood that his address had the ears of all the citizens of America, as well as the attention of the world. He uses this opportunity to express the importance of peace among nations around the world and the significance of civil service for each individual. Kennedy’s decision to employ ethos to emphasize his love of God and to portray himself as a religious person helps him to effectively gather humanity and unite them for his common goal of service to others.
Kennedy both began and ended his inaugural address by alluding to God’s presence in his life. He starts his speech by reminding the audience that “the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” He then concludes his speech by asking “His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.” Kennedy highlights his religious beliefs which are based on a basic premise that the way that a person can serve God is by serving others in need. He believes that it is his duty as a Catholic to serve his fellow man and in his inaugural speech, Kennedy’s aim was to inspire the American people to strive to live a life defined by service.
To emphasize the importance of civil service, Kennedy, along with ethos, implements direct address in his speech. Direct address is utilized when a speaker addresses their audience directly. Kennedy’s speech was personal enough that a listener would think that the President was speaking directly to them. An example of this occurs when Kennedy reminds his audience of the American people that “In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” This direct address to the audience makes the speech feel very personal and can sound like a call to action to the listener.
In his inaugural address Kennedy also uses anaphora as a rhetorical device to specifically emphasize messages that he wants to convey in his speech. Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of each line in a series of phrases. Kennedy uses anaphora many times throughout his speech but he specifically employs the technique when he says “Let both sides explore what problems unite us…, Let both sides, for the first time,.., Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science…, Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth…” This use of repetition helps Kennedy’s speech flow and emphasizes the importance of his message of peaceful resolution of problems and service to your fellow man. By repeating the phrase “Let both sides” again and again in his speech, Kennedy allows the message of unity and cooperation to sink into his audience. It allows his theme of cooperation and peaceful alliance permeate throughout his entire speech.
President Kennedy held a deeply personal belief in public service. He believed it was every American’s duty to volunteer, to help the less fortunate, and to serve your country. This quote from his inaugural address, which uses antimetabole to challenge every American to participate in public service,“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country” this makes every american think about participating in public service for the betterment of the country.
President Kenndey’s inaugural address is a powerful demonstration of inspiration and strong leadership, especially in times of war and fear. His ethos shows his audience the kind of person he is and demonstrates to them how completely his moral values influence his life and presidency. Directly addressing his audience kept them engaged and listening to his message which emphasized the significance of civil service. Kennedy’s use of anaphora allowed his speech to sound fluent and not stiff. Finally, he used antimetabole to help make sure his audience would remember his message. Kennedy’s inaugural address from 1961 is a perfect example of how rhetorical strategies can deeply convey a message to an audience. His address was short and concise and through it he made sure that all Americans clearly understood that Kennedy wanted peace throughout the world and an America in which citizens worked in service of each other.
Final draft of JFK rhetorical analysis essay
Sophia Nisimblat
Mrs. Hagge
AP Language and Composition
June 7, 2023
A Timeless Inaugural Address
On Friday, January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave his inaugural address in Washington D.C. to the citizens of the United States and the world. Kennedy's speech defined his short presidency during a crucial time in American history. The rhetorical choices Kennedy made throughout his entire speech, including ethos, direct address, anaphora, and antimetabole, strengthen the effectiveness of his word choices and his ability to convey a compelling message that emphasizes the importance of peace and civil service to the American people.
Kennedy's inaugural address, directed at the citizens of the nation, relied heavily on his ethos. At the exact moment that he was sworn in as President of the United States, he understood that his address had the ears of all of the citizens of America, as well as the attention of the world. He uses this opportunity to express the importance of peace among nations around the world and the significance of civil service for each individual. Kennedy’s decision to employ ethos to emphasize his love of God and to portray himself as a religious person helps him to effectively gather humanity and unite them for his common goal of service to others.
Kennedy both began and ended his inaugural address by alluding to God’s presence in his life. He starts his speech by reminding the audience that “the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” He then concludes his speech by asking “His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.” Kennedy highlights his religious beliefs which are based on a basic premise that the way that a person serves God is by serving others in need. He believes that it is his duty, as a Catholic, to care for his fellow man and in his inaugural speech, Kennedy’s aim was to inspire the American people to also strive to live a life defined by service.
To emphasize the importance of civil service, Kennedy, along with ethos, implements direct address in his speech. Direct address is utilized when a speaker addresses their audience directly. Kennedy’s speech was personal enough that a listener would think that the President was speaking directly to them. An example of this occurs when Kennedy reminds his audience of the American people that “In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” This direct address to the audience makes the speech feel very personal and can sound like a call to action to the listener. Direct address, in Kennedy’s speech, was a highly effective method of engaging the audience and making a true connection.
In his inaugural address, Kennedy also uses anaphora as a rhetorical device to specifically emphasize messages that he wants to convey in his speech. Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of each line in a series of phrases. Kennedy uses anaphora many times throughout his speech but he specifically employs the technique when he says “Let both sides explore what problems unite us…, Let both sides, for the first time,.., Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science…, Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth…” This use of repetition helps Kennedy’s speech flow and emphasizes the importance of his message of peaceful resolution of problems and service to your fellow man. By repeating the phrase “Let both sides” again and again in his speech, Kennedy allows the message of unity and cooperation to sink into his audience. It allows his theme of cooperation and peaceful alliance permeate throughout his entire speech.
President Kennedy held a deeply personal dedication to public service. He believed it was every American’s duty to volunteer, to help the less fortunate, and to serve your country. This quote from his inaugural address, which uses antimetabole to challenge every American to participate in public service, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country” this makes every American think about participating in public service for the betterment of the country. It challenges citizens to perform civil service and to view civil service as a duty of every American citizen.
President Kennedy's inaugural address is a powerful demonstration of inspiration and strong leadership, especially in times of war and fear. His ethos shows his audience the kind of person he is and demonstrates to them how completely his moral values influence his life and presidency. Directly addressing his audience kept them engaged and listening to his message which emphasized the significance of civil service. Kennedy’s use of anaphora allowed his speech to sound fluent and not stiff. Finally, he used antimetabole to help make sure his audience would remember his message. Kennedy’s inaugural address from 1961 is a perfect example of how rhetorical strategies can deeply convey a message to an audience. His address was short and concise and utterly memorable. Through his speech, he made sure that all Americans clearly understood that Kennedy wanted peace throughout the world and an America in which citizens worked in service of each other. This inaugural address is still extremally relevant and important in todays world to give perspective and guidance to all Americans.