John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes John F. Kennedy's inaugural address given on January 20, 1961. It discusses the style of the speech, particularly his effective use of oratory and rhetorical techniques. It looks at the way in which his language and also his unique voice and persona caused the words to remain in the listeners' mind. The paper also discusses Kennedy's body language and attire while delivering his speech. It combines all of these aspects to describe the success of his presentation.

From the Paper:

"What is most striking about the speech is how much it asks of its listeners. It is easy to listen to, because of its effective use of oratory and rhetorical techniques, like rhetorical questions, parallel sentence structure, and intense, physical images that paint a picture for the listener. This is especially important in an age before television was common in all households, to satisfy listeners far away as well as the immediate, watching audience of the speech in front of the Capital. Yet the speech also demands that young Americans press themselves to answer the call to liberty, to pick up the set-down torch of the previous generation, and bear the burden of giving back to their nation. The effectiveness of the speech was sufficient that Americans listened with pleasure not simply to the image of themselves they wanted to have of peaceful and freedom-loving people, but that they were also inspired to exceed their own comfort zones and the expectations they had for their future."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Cold War." Microsoft(r) Encarta(r) Online Encyclopedia. 2007. http://encarta.msn.com (c) 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. [2 Apr 2007]
• "JFK Inaugural Address: 2 of 2." Added 26 Oct 2006. Youtube.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s6U8GActdQ. [2 Apr 2006].
• "John F. Kennedy's January 20, 1961 Inaugural Address." Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O.: for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1989; Bartleby.com, 2001. www.bartleby.com/124/. [2 Apr 2006].

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