Rhetorical Devices In John F Kennedy's Inaugural Address
John F Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, January 20th 1961:
The inaugural address of John F Kennedy was successful because of the various rhetorical devices that he employed throughout the speech. These devices used include contrasts, three part lists, antithesis, alliteration and bold imagery. The devices emphasized the fact that Kennedy was campaigning for better freedom for not only the people of the United States of America, but also the people in the neighbouring lands.
During the opening line of his speech, John F Kennedy addresses his peers in government, reciting a list of the important figures in the parliament of the United States in 1961; a list which ends with ‘fellow citizens’. This was important as it showed him identifying …show more content…
When he uses the word ‘to’ at the beginning of these paragraphs, such as when addressing his comments ‘To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share’, it allows the audience to separate his ideas, as they are presented in a clear, concise way. The pledge goes on to state that ‘United there is little we cannot do… Divided, there is little we can do’ which uses the device of chiasmus to promote the argument that as a country, and to the allies of the USA, there must be a sense of unanimity. The address goes on to use further anaphora, but this time with the paragraphs beginning with the command ‘let’. One example of the use of this in the speech is ‘Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce’. This plants the idea that under his presidency, America could go on to achieve great things, such as those listed above, but it could only do so if everyone was together,
The inaugural address of John F Kennedy was successful because of the various rhetorical devices that he employed throughout the speech. These devices used include contrasts, three part lists, antithesis, alliteration and bold imagery. The devices emphasized the fact that Kennedy was campaigning for better freedom for not only the people of the United States of America, but also the people in the neighbouring lands.
During the opening line of his speech, John F Kennedy addresses his peers in government, reciting a list of the important figures in the parliament of the United States in 1961; a list which ends with ‘fellow citizens’. This was important as it showed him identifying …show more content…
When he uses the word ‘to’ at the beginning of these paragraphs, such as when addressing his comments ‘To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share’, it allows the audience to separate his ideas, as they are presented in a clear, concise way. The pledge goes on to state that ‘United there is little we cannot do… Divided, there is little we can do’ which uses the device of chiasmus to promote the argument that as a country, and to the allies of the USA, there must be a sense of unanimity. The address goes on to use further anaphora, but this time with the paragraphs beginning with the command ‘let’. One example of the use of this in the speech is ‘Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce’. This plants the idea that under his presidency, America could go on to achieve great things, such as those listed above, but it could only do so if everyone was together,