Rhetorical analysis of JF Kennedy speech
Introduction
John F. Kennedy was elected as United States 35th president in 1960 and became one of the youngest US presidents ever. During his tenure as the president, he renewed the public service sector and gave federal support to the organizations that championed for civil rights (The White House, 2020). He was involved in trying to stop the cold war tensions that were being experienced in the areas of Cuba and Vietnam. His position as the president of the United States was cut short following his assassination in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. His death shocked many people across the globe and to date he is ranked as the most loved presidents in the history of the United States
John F. Kennedy speech on Historical factor
One of the addresses of John F Kennedy about that he urged the Americans to forget about their historical backgrounds and work towards the development of the United States was delivered during his inauguration on January 20, 1961, when he took the oath of office. What most people view as a memorable section of the speech came at the end when he urged Americans to commit themselves to serve the country. The address read, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country” (Kennedy et al., 2006. He also continued by saying, “My fellow citizens of the world ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man” (JFK Library, 2020).
Following the win by a small margin, Kennedy knew that he had an enormous task to win the hearts of those who did not vote for him. He, therefore, prepared the speech. The speech contrast ideas in a more parallel structure to strengthen the main points of what Kennedy wanted to pass to the Americans. The use of Antithesis in the speech makes it more memorable because of the emphasis put on it. He tried to make people believe in him, and this was evident when, after the address, more than seventy percent of people approved Kennedy’s leadership.
The president also used Anaphora in his speech when he repeated the phrases “to those old allies, to those new states, to those people.” He wanted to emphasize the ideas of assisting each other, not just as a nation but through partnerships with other countries around the world. He did this by preparing a speech that would ignite positive emotions to the public through inspirations and motivations after that appeal to them to join him in the liberation of Americans.
The inaugural ceremony is one of the defining moments of the president’s career, and Kennedy knew that it was the best time to prove to the Americans that he was capable of leading them. This is the reason he prepared a short, persuasive speech with fewer rhetoric phrases to make the statement clear for everybody. He expressed his speech in an energetic and hopeful way centering it on foreign policies that would move the nation forward. He also carefully selected his words to prevent any form of discrimination in the speech because he knew well his audience would consist both his supporters and non-supporters
John F. Kennedy’s statement on the economic factor of the United States
After getting into the office, Kennedy forgot that he had with a tiny margin. The next presidential election was also getting closer and the democrats to improve social programs. Still, he insisted that he had not won a mandate and had to be reelected first to accomplish most of these tasks. His campaign slogan had been moving America forward again, but the rate of unemployment remained high. The economic advisers told him to solve the issue of unemployment using the New Deal Style. Still, Kennedy was worried that this would cause a huge deficit that would be politically undependable in the 1964 election.
This is the time the president wrote to Congress, stating that America’s tax system still siphoned out of the private economy and had a significant personal and business purchasing power, which reduces the risk incentive and investments, which in turn slows the rate of national growth. He decided that cutting taxes would be the only way to restore his political power (JFK Library, 2020). Ironically, the economic growth of the country increased in 1963, but the republicans and conservative democrats argued that reducing taxes with cutting the spending was not good for the economy. Kennedy, however, dismissed them, saying that a rising tide lifts all boats.
JF Kennedy used Logos to present his ideas and logic that cutting the taxes would improve the economy of the country. He believed that a higher tax cut would translate to improved family incomes and higher profit gains by business that would balance the federal budget. He gave an example to prove his points by stating that due to tax cuts, every taxpayer will have more money left after taxes for purchases of new items such as cars and residential places. He also said that the business people could keep a higher percentage of their profits in their respective cash registers or use them to expand their businesses. Because of his position as president, Kennedy used ethos to make sure that his proposals went through in Congress. He knew that this bill would determine his future political ambitions and power and therefore did everything in his power to make it successful in Congress. He expressed his speech in a more concerned manner because of the economic crisis that the country was going through.
JF Kennedy rhetorical speech on a health factor
One of the low moments of JF Kennedy was when his bill of the Medicare bill failed to pass in Congress. The bill proposed that the working people should contribute to their old age health insurance independently under social security without forcing and that they should turn to public or private charities when their jobs are done, and they have no savings left. He had experienced the challenge of paying for hospital bills when his father fell ill, and he understood the pain most of the less wealthy people underwent in catering for hospital bills. The medical bill had not gone through, and Kennedy went on television to state that the Americans had better memories than the republicans had calculated. He went on and said that the Medicare Bill had failed by two votes in 1962 votes but hopefully would be passed by a new congress in 1963 (JFK on Health Care, 2020).
The president used pathos in explaining to the people why the bill was essential to pass. He stated that the law would allow the less fortunate people to save the little income they got willingly so that when they get old, it would be easy to cover their medical bills. At that time, people were finding it hard to treatment in better hospitals because of the high cost that would be incurred. He expressed his speech in a disappointed manner because the republicans had, for the second time, turned down the bill.
References
Inaugural Address | JFK Library. Jfklibrary.org. (2020). Retrieved March 2, 2020, from https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/historic-speeches/inaugural-address.
John F. Kennedy | The White House. The White House. (2020). Retrieved March 2, 2020, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/john-f-kennedy/.
John F. Kennedy on the Economy and Taxes | JFK Library. Jfklibrary.org. (2020). Retrieved March 2, 2020, from https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/john-f-kennedy-on-the-economy-and-taxes.
John F. Kennedy on Health Care. Ontheissues.org. (2020). Retrieved March 2, 2020, from https://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/John_F__Kennedy_Health_Care.htm.
Kennedy, J., Freedman, E., & Hoffman, E. (2006). John F. Kennedy in his own words. Citadel.