John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address Sierra Smith

Speaker • John F. Kennedy won the 1960’s presidential

election. • Before running for president;• Joined the US Navy • Served as a congressmen for 6 years • Did two terms with the Senate• During his campaign he gave many well known

speeches • Participated in the first presidential debate aired

on television. He did extremely well in this debate which gave him the upper hand in the election.

Occasion

•JFK became the 35th President of the United States on January 20th, 1961.

•He gave his address shortly after taking the oath of office.

•It is considered to be one of the best inaugural address’s in history.

Audience

•The speech was given to 20 thousand people attending the address live along with 80 million Americans who watched it.

•The speech was the first to be aired on television in color.

•He speaks to not only his audience in America but to people around the globe including allies and enemies.

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEC1C4p0k3E

Purpose

•The purpose of his inaugural address was to give an open to his presidency and speak of the plans he had.

•He came into power in the middle of the cold war

•His speech was meant to send a message that portrayed how the United States was strong enough for war but also seeking peace.

Ethos • Before winning the election, JFK was already a highly

seen political figure after being a congressmen, a member of the senate, and doing so well during the election.

• His speech didn’t need many ethos since he was already credible. This allowed the speech to focus on other strategies such as logos and pathos.

• He does say many quotable sentences with confidence which would boost his ethos.

• “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it.”

Logos • Kennedy breaks his speech down by

addressing many parts of the world and plans he has for them individually or plans he has of them coming together instead of fighting.

• “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms – and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.”

Pathos • Kennedy does a very good job with connecting to his audience

in many ways. • “To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we

share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends.” This helps Kennedy connect to our allies whose help we would have needed during the war.

• “To those peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge out best efforts to help them help themselves” He continues to say later in the paragraph “Not because we seek their votes, but because it is right” This connects to countries in the world that are struggling.

• He connects to the majority of his live audience and the millions of Americas watching by referencing Isaiah because the majority of the audience would be Christian.

Pathos continued •“In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than

mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” This connects to the audience because it focuses on them directly and he takes the spotlight away from him.

•“Let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”

•This once again connect the Christian audience which would be the majority of Americans.

Diction and Syntax• Kennedy’s use of diction is what helps give the speech the power

that it needs. • He uses strong words to show the state the world is in and to

describe the people that encompass it. • “For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all

forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.” • His word choice includes abolish and is followed by human

poverty and human life. The order this is in helps show not only the good we can do as people but the evil we are capable of too.

• “That both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.”

• Using words such as; dark powers, destruction, unleashes, engulf, and self-destruction help display how dark and serious things can turn without peace.

Other rhetorical strategies • Kennedy uses repetition to address all parts of the

world he is talking to. He begins many sentences with “To those…”

• He uses imagery many times through the speech to paint a picture of how peaceful the world can be and in contrast how dark it can be as well.

• Allusion is used many times in reference to the bible.

• He uses antithesis to outline the fact that America will not be afraid of our enemies but we are still willing to negotiate. "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”

Sources

•http://www.jfklibrary.org/~/media/assets/Education%20and%20Public%20Programs/Education/Lesson%20Plans/Rhetoric%20of%20the%20Inaugural%20Address.pdf

•http://sites.psu.edu/brighdesjardinsrclblog/2012/10/04/president-john-f-kennedy-inaugural-address-1961/

•https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jfk+inaugural+address