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John F Kennedy Ethos In Jfk Speech

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John F Kennedy Ethos In Jfk Speech
In October of 1962, John F. Kennedy was faced with the first crisis of his administration. The Soviets were building nuclear missile sites on Cuba, and one of JFK’s first actions was to give his famous Cuban Missile Crisis speech on October 22, 1962. JFK uses repetition, ethos, and pathos to discredit the USSR’s international standing in the world. JFK give his speech to show the people that the government has their best interests at heart. He tells the citizens about what the government has learned and what they intend to do about it. To reassure the people of the US, he describes what he has done so far, and what he plans to do in the future. In the main part of the speech, JFK turns to what the Soviets have done and the implications of this. He does this to unify the country against the Soviets. To unify them he explains how the Soviets have endangered everyone who lives in the western hemisphere, and how this has never been done before. He reinforces this by repeatedly stating that what the Soviets have said are lies. To further discredit the Soviets he shows their disregard for international agreements and for the people living in the western hemisphere.
Throughout the speech JFK uses repetition to reinforce his message. The use of the phrase “That
…show more content…
As the president of the United States, JFK had enormous credibility in the eyes of most of the world. JFK gave this speech on television, from the oval office of the white house, giving his words and his message additional gravity and credibility. Within the speech itself he mentions several international organizations and calls to action both the United Nations and the Organization of American States. In his speech he mentions how the USSR’s action go against the Rio Pact of 1947. In doing so he discredits the Soviet’s status and grants himself moral authority in this situation. All of abovementioned strategies reinforce the credibility of President

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