Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address

The hysteria surrounding communism ravaged the United States of America when John F. Kennedy was elected president. Sputnik was orbiting in space, the Cold War raged in the background and to combat the fear, America needed a strong, dependable leader. At this time, Kennedy barely beat his presidential competitor Richard Nixon causing uneasy feelings in the American public. To alleviate the apprehension, John F. Kennedy delivered an inspiring inaugural speech which sent a message of strength to the nation and world. Kennedy saturated the speech with rhetoric and realistic goals resulting in support from the entire nation. Although the speech was mainly intended to inspire American citizens, Kennedy used repetition, catalog, and allusions to convey a clarion in the final sections of his inaugural speech.
Repetition, or the duplication of words, ingrains the idea mentioned into the listener's head. Due to the magnitude of the word use, the listener is reminded of the topic and is left unable to forget the information. At the end of his inaugural speech repetition of the word “fellow” (paragraphs 21, 25, 26) ingrained a sense of equality between Kennedy and the American public. Prior to the speech, citizens were wary of the new president; however, Kennedy was thought to be a trustworthy, honest man following the impressive performance. Furthermore, the repetition of the word “fellow” (paragraphs 21, 25, 26) is an example of ethos. The trust elicited by the speech allows the nation to believe Kennedy’s ideas and support him. After gaining America’s trust, Kennedy used his newly found position to encourage the United States to take