Analysis Of John F Kennedy's Inaugural Address

In John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address speech (20 January 1961), the newly appointed president utilizes repetition of phrases, use of personal pronouns and antithesis which is the contrasting of ideas in a parallel structure to prove that the United States should unite together to become a world leader and fight together so that the U.S. could find peace with other countries. Inaugural addresses indict the beginning of a new presidency, which come with new promises to the American people. In Kennedy’s speech, he gives a pledge that the United States will have peace. With that newly found peace, friendships could be formed creating trade agreements which in return will help make the United States stronger as a country. He begins every pledge with “To those” and finishes with the group he is pledging
his support to. “To those old allies…, To those new states…, To those people in the huts and villages…” and “finally, to those nations” are a few pledges from his address (7-9 Kennedy). Although each group was different, Kennedy wanted the same for each which was peace. While Kennedy was trying to make peace and strong alliances with nations around the world, he was also trying to make peace within the United States between African Americans and whites. By repeating the phrase “Let both sides” at the beginning of each paragraph, he was talking about uniting blacks and whites together since segregation was still a problem at the time of his presidency. (16-19 Kennedy) In order for the United States to make peace with other nations, they must have peace within the country and its citizens. The repetition of phrases helps to drill the message of unity into the audience's brain. In order to unite as one country, Kennedy had to use language and diction that conveyed the message that anybody who lives in the United States is a part of the great nation no matter what your skin tone was or where you were from. He wants to start off his presidency by letting people realize that they are one united group and that although he may be the president, he is a part of the united group as well. Using pronouns like “us” and “our” includes him and the audiences he is speaking to. The audience is anybody whether they were black or white or from a different country. So at the end of his speech he addresses “My fellow Americans” making it seem like the audience he is talking to are a group of great friends. (26 Kennedy) He also addresses “My fellow citizens of the world” and asks them how America can help them showing how he wants to befriend countries and how befriending the United States would overall benefit both countries.(27 Kennedy) Using certain types of diction helps to convey the message that the United States is one whole and powerful group.
With the division of nations in this time period, it created a time of confusion that caused numerous contrasting ideas which is one rhetorical device, antithesis, that Kennedy uses in his speech.
One of Kennedy’s most recognizable quotes from his speeches, “Ask not what you country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” discusses what Americans purpose is in society. (26 Kennedy) In order to help unite the country again, the American people have to take responsibility for the divide in the first place and try to mend the broken country. Finding the peace that Kennedy wants requires the American people to think about what they can do to contribute to America to make America successful and a powerful country. Kennedy expresses his opinion to “Not as a call to bear arms… not as a call to battle.., but a call to bear the burden…” (5 Kennedy). Instead of holding onto violent or hostile thoughts towards the opposing group, everybody should come together to bury the harsh feelings towards each other so that the country may move onto bigger and better ideas. Contrasting ideas helps to see both sides of the argument which helps people to move on to find
peace. Unfortunately, some people did not agree with his idea of peace since he was assassinated during his presidency. The 1960s were a time filled with stress and worry about the growing conflicts between countries and groups and John F. Kennedy was trying to support the idea of peace in his inaugural address.