John F Kennedy Ich Bin Ein Berliner Summary
Analysis of the speech “Ich bin ein Berliner” by John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States of America, from 1956 to 1963. He was the youngest president elected for the Democratic Party in a time of a worldwide conflict between communism in wide parts of the world and capitalism, mainly represented by the NATO states. Due to his father’s work as an ambassador in Great Britain, he gained access to British politicians and subsequently wrote his senior Thesis at Harvard University on why “Great Britain was unprepared for war with Germany” (jfklibrary.org, 2012). Thus was his involvement in European politics as the American president inevitable.
The main context of the speech “Ich bin ein Berliner” is the cold war, with its ever-present threat of escalating into a …show more content…
nuclear war disaster. In public speeches, especially politicians had to pay attention to what words they are using and how these could be perceived, in order to keep up the peace between the USSR and NATO. Politics in this time have been aggressively supporting the own view, while distancing itself from the opposing views.
Kennedy does that already in the geographic location of giving the speech. He is at the front line of the cold war, West-Berlin, but gives his speech far in the western part Berlin, not to directly provoke and indirectly address the eastern German population, - and with it the communist system - but to identify with the inhabitants of West Berlin. Red flags, blocking the view through the Brandenburg gate embodied the provocation perceived by the East German government (and with it all communist states), which accompanied Kennedy’s visit right at the front line of the cold war was perceived as a
The audience for Kennedy’s speech consists primarily of the inhabitants of West Berlin, though through television broadcasting and press coverage the whole ‘western’ society is addressed. In a few explicit lines, such as “the people of West Berlin […] were in the front lines” (Kennedy, 1963) he directly speaks to the audience in front of him and broaches the issue of their troubles in the past 15 years. In other passages he addresses the issue of freedom in the western world, fighting against the threats of communism.
His objective is to inspire the people and persuade them to believe in freedom, democracy and the capitalistic system. Kennedy aims to keep the hopes up for the population to end the current situation of a separated Germany and “unite their families and their nation in lasting peace” (Kennedy, 1963). It is an appeal to the people to fight for democracy and capitalism. The speech can be structured in an introduction, ending and three main parts. All three main parts have a main topic and employ two of Aristotle’s appeals. The introduction and ending of the speech have the purpose of expressing Kennedy’s solidarity and pride towards the people of West Berlin.
The introduction and first paragraph of the speech have the purpose to caress and identify with the West German population. It is a praise of the people of Berlin as fighters for democracy and freedom, applying ethos, not only for Kennedy himself, he rather states that the people of Berlin are the most credible ones on this matter, which enforces his pathos.
Kennedy expresses the pride and sympathy every American takes in the mayor, the people and events in West Berlin in the second paragraph. Emotionally charged words like “greatest pride”, “besieged”, “vitality and force”, “failures” (Kennedy, 1963) are used to express support of the inhabitants of West berlin and disapproval of the division of Germany. Kennedy paints vivid pictures of the Wall being “an offense not only against history but an offense against humanity” (Kennedy, 1963) and a token of failure of the communist system.
In the third part of the speech, firstly the denunciation of the Wall continues, to lead Kennedy to the topic of hopes of tomorrow and the freedom the will come over “all mankind” (Kennedy, 1963). In the following Kennedy makes a logic approach to humanity, saying that “when one man is enslaved, all are not free.” (Kennedy, 1963) and therefore the fight for freedom and democracy must continue.
Besides the ethos, inherited due to his position as president of the United States, Kennedy establishes ethos in his speech in a simple, but effective manor in the first line. When saying that “Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was "civis Romanus sum."” (Kennedy, 1963) he does not only make a historical reference but also utilizes a sentence in Latin, which can be seen as the language of intellectuals.
Furthermore Kennedy identifies with the citizens of West Berlin, not only n the words “Ich ein ein Berliner” (Kennedy, 1963”) but also with phrases like “Let them come to berlin.” (Kennedy, 1963). He says that only the people of Berlin had true first hand knowledge of the conflict between capitalism and communism and, as he is in Berlin, as he is one of them, he has this first hand knowledge as well.
One of the strongest appeals to pathos is, when Kennedy envisions that the people of West Berlin will say they “were in the front lines for almost two decades.” (Kennedy.
1963) This section of the speech in itself does not overly utilize pathos, but in retrospective – the berlin wall would no fall for another 26 years and the division of Germany already lasted 15 years – it is a purely emotional appeal. It lacks logic and projects positivity and faith in a united Germany at a point in time where there was no certainty over the outcome of the cold war.
The only attempt of utilizing logos in his speech is made, when Kennedy lastly builds up to an interterxtuality to Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. He ends his speech with the equation that the citizens of Berlin are free men, thus “All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin” (Kennedy, 1963) and therefore he is entitled to “take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner!" (Kennedy, 1963). This illogical conclusion, or “faulty causality” (Davies, 2012), is an attempt to establish logos, whilst it basically only shows Kennedy’s respect and empathy for the people of West
Berlin.
The speech was, unsurprisingly, followed by the leaders of the communist countries and thus had Kennedy numerous restrictions in order to not let the situation of the cold war escalate.
Furthermore was the level of English as a language in the Germany of the 1960’s not very high. This required an interpreter, to enable Kennedy to address the German population directly and convey his message.
Sources
Kennedy, J. F. Ich bin ein Berliner. In B. MacArthur (Ed.), The Penguin Book of Modern Speeches. Penguin.
Adler Abramson, K. (2012). Life of John F. Kennedy. Retrieved 09 21, 2012, from John F. Kennedy - Presidential Library and Museum: http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/Life-of-John-F-Kennedy.aspx?p=2
Davies, O. (2012, 09 10). Guest Lecture on Propaganda. Breda, The Netherlands.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States of America, from 1956 to 1963. He was the youngest president elected for the Democratic Party in a time of a worldwide conflict between communism in wide parts of the world and capitalism, mainly represented by the NATO states. Due to his father’s work as an ambassador in Great Britain, he gained access to British politicians and subsequently wrote his senior Thesis at Harvard University on why “Great Britain was unprepared for war with Germany” (jfklibrary.org, 2012). Thus was his involvement in European politics as the American president inevitable.
The main context of the speech “Ich bin ein Berliner” is the cold war, with its ever-present threat of escalating into a …show more content…
nuclear war disaster. In public speeches, especially politicians had to pay attention to what words they are using and how these could be perceived, in order to keep up the peace between the USSR and NATO. Politics in this time have been aggressively supporting the own view, while distancing itself from the opposing views.
Kennedy does that already in the geographic location of giving the speech. He is at the front line of the cold war, West-Berlin, but gives his speech far in the western part Berlin, not to directly provoke and indirectly address the eastern German population, - and with it the communist system - but to identify with the inhabitants of West Berlin. Red flags, blocking the view through the Brandenburg gate embodied the provocation perceived by the East German government (and with it all communist states), which accompanied Kennedy’s visit right at the front line of the cold war was perceived as a
The audience for Kennedy’s speech consists primarily of the inhabitants of West Berlin, though through television broadcasting and press coverage the whole ‘western’ society is addressed. In a few explicit lines, such as “the people of West Berlin […] were in the front lines” (Kennedy, 1963) he directly speaks to the audience in front of him and broaches the issue of their troubles in the past 15 years. In other passages he addresses the issue of freedom in the western world, fighting against the threats of communism.
His objective is to inspire the people and persuade them to believe in freedom, democracy and the capitalistic system. Kennedy aims to keep the hopes up for the population to end the current situation of a separated Germany and “unite their families and their nation in lasting peace” (Kennedy, 1963). It is an appeal to the people to fight for democracy and capitalism. The speech can be structured in an introduction, ending and three main parts. All three main parts have a main topic and employ two of Aristotle’s appeals. The introduction and ending of the speech have the purpose of expressing Kennedy’s solidarity and pride towards the people of West Berlin.
The introduction and first paragraph of the speech have the purpose to caress and identify with the West German population. It is a praise of the people of Berlin as fighters for democracy and freedom, applying ethos, not only for Kennedy himself, he rather states that the people of Berlin are the most credible ones on this matter, which enforces his pathos.
Kennedy expresses the pride and sympathy every American takes in the mayor, the people and events in West Berlin in the second paragraph. Emotionally charged words like “greatest pride”, “besieged”, “vitality and force”, “failures” (Kennedy, 1963) are used to express support of the inhabitants of West berlin and disapproval of the division of Germany. Kennedy paints vivid pictures of the Wall being “an offense not only against history but an offense against humanity” (Kennedy, 1963) and a token of failure of the communist system.
In the third part of the speech, firstly the denunciation of the Wall continues, to lead Kennedy to the topic of hopes of tomorrow and the freedom the will come over “all mankind” (Kennedy, 1963). In the following Kennedy makes a logic approach to humanity, saying that “when one man is enslaved, all are not free.” (Kennedy, 1963) and therefore the fight for freedom and democracy must continue.
Besides the ethos, inherited due to his position as president of the United States, Kennedy establishes ethos in his speech in a simple, but effective manor in the first line. When saying that “Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was "civis Romanus sum."” (Kennedy, 1963) he does not only make a historical reference but also utilizes a sentence in Latin, which can be seen as the language of intellectuals.
Furthermore Kennedy identifies with the citizens of West Berlin, not only n the words “Ich ein ein Berliner” (Kennedy, 1963”) but also with phrases like “Let them come to berlin.” (Kennedy, 1963). He says that only the people of Berlin had true first hand knowledge of the conflict between capitalism and communism and, as he is in Berlin, as he is one of them, he has this first hand knowledge as well.
One of the strongest appeals to pathos is, when Kennedy envisions that the people of West Berlin will say they “were in the front lines for almost two decades.” (Kennedy.
1963) This section of the speech in itself does not overly utilize pathos, but in retrospective – the berlin wall would no fall for another 26 years and the division of Germany already lasted 15 years – it is a purely emotional appeal. It lacks logic and projects positivity and faith in a united Germany at a point in time where there was no certainty over the outcome of the cold war.
The only attempt of utilizing logos in his speech is made, when Kennedy lastly builds up to an interterxtuality to Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. He ends his speech with the equation that the citizens of Berlin are free men, thus “All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin” (Kennedy, 1963) and therefore he is entitled to “take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner!" (Kennedy, 1963). This illogical conclusion, or “faulty causality” (Davies, 2012), is an attempt to establish logos, whilst it basically only shows Kennedy’s respect and empathy for the people of West
Berlin.
The speech was, unsurprisingly, followed by the leaders of the communist countries and thus had Kennedy numerous restrictions in order to not let the situation of the cold war escalate.
Furthermore was the level of English as a language in the Germany of the 1960’s not very high. This required an interpreter, to enable Kennedy to address the German population directly and convey his message.
Sources
Kennedy, J. F. Ich bin ein Berliner. In B. MacArthur (Ed.), The Penguin Book of Modern Speeches. Penguin.
Adler Abramson, K. (2012). Life of John F. Kennedy. Retrieved 09 21, 2012, from John F. Kennedy - Presidential Library and Museum: http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/Life-of-John-F-Kennedy.aspx?p=2
Davies, O. (2012, 09 10). Guest Lecture on Propaganda. Breda, The Netherlands.