John F Kennedy Ich Bin Ein Berliner Speech Analysis
]
“Ich bin ein Berliner”
By John F. Kennedy
Summary
On June 26th, 1963, John F. Kennedy delivered his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech to the city of West Berlin. Kennedy gave this speech while the world was in the midst of the war between communism and democracy, to a people who had been torn and divided because of it. The Berlin Wall had been erected only two years prior, and thousands of relatives and loved ones were separated. Kennedy commends the Berliners for their bravery and steadfastness to freedom, denounces the communists for separating the German people, and calls the audience to keep fighting for equality not only in Berlin or Germany, but around the world. Kennedy uses the Berlin Wall as a physical symbol to …show more content…
During my trip, the group of students I travelled with visited several historic sites and museums that related to the division of Germany after World War II, including the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the German Democratic Republic Museum, and the Berlin Wall. During the tours of these places, we heard many real life accounts of how life was in East Germany, how families were torn apart by the Wall, how so many were killed in attempts to escape the communist sector, and how deeply and significantly the Wall scarred the German nation. The tour guide who showed us the Berlin Wall actually grew up in East Germany, and he told us of how after the Wall fell he discovered that his mother was paid by the GDR to marry his dad and spy on him for the government. I was able to meet some of the people who were affected most by this period of history, and it made me feel much closer to them and to the situation as a whole. Hearing Kennedy speaking to these people before this terrible period had ended for them was a very moving experience for me, and I’m very glad to have the chance to analyze this
“Ich bin ein Berliner”
By John F. Kennedy
Summary
On June 26th, 1963, John F. Kennedy delivered his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech to the city of West Berlin. Kennedy gave this speech while the world was in the midst of the war between communism and democracy, to a people who had been torn and divided because of it. The Berlin Wall had been erected only two years prior, and thousands of relatives and loved ones were separated. Kennedy commends the Berliners for their bravery and steadfastness to freedom, denounces the communists for separating the German people, and calls the audience to keep fighting for equality not only in Berlin or Germany, but around the world. Kennedy uses the Berlin Wall as a physical symbol to …show more content…
During my trip, the group of students I travelled with visited several historic sites and museums that related to the division of Germany after World War II, including the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the German Democratic Republic Museum, and the Berlin Wall. During the tours of these places, we heard many real life accounts of how life was in East Germany, how families were torn apart by the Wall, how so many were killed in attempts to escape the communist sector, and how deeply and significantly the Wall scarred the German nation. The tour guide who showed us the Berlin Wall actually grew up in East Germany, and he told us of how after the Wall fell he discovered that his mother was paid by the GDR to marry his dad and spy on him for the government. I was able to meet some of the people who were affected most by this period of history, and it made me feel much closer to them and to the situation as a whole. Hearing Kennedy speaking to these people before this terrible period had ended for them was a very moving experience for me, and I’m very glad to have the chance to analyze this