President John F Kennedy's Rhetorical Strategies
President John F. Kennedy’s speech on April 10, 1962 regarding an increase in steel prices uses several rhetorical strategies such as repletion and imperative tone to persuade his audience that during this economic crisis, steel companies are raising steel prices which is irresponsible, unjustified and selfish on their part. President Kennedy also informs the middle class of America and steel industry executives who is his audience that the rising steel prices will create a further negative impact on economy and will negatively affect every American. As President Kennedy is mainly communicating with average middle class Americans, his main concern is reaching his audience and informing them how the rising steel prices affect each individual.
…show more content…
While the use of imperative tone makes President Kennedy look confident and an authoritative figure, he tries to move away from the image of an executive or commander by using words such as “our” and “we” which not only connects him to his audience but also gives his audience a sense of power since his audience is thinking that a wealthy Harvard graduate president is supporting them rather than wealthy steel industry executives. This impersonalizes Kennedy’s speech and makes it more for the reader to understand what President Kennedy wants to convey. The president goes on to tell what rising steel prices mean for every American as he mentions that the prices of consumer good would rise while some Americans also may be out of a job which directly impacts his audience. This interests the audience because now the audience realizes that the rising steel prices impact them at a personal level and this is the moment when his audience starts to support Kennedy to go against steel company executives. The president gains trust by mentioning his source “Senator McNamara” and providing facts such as “an estimated one billion dollars to the cost of our defenses”. Then in the fifth paragraph, President Kennedy uses repetition by saying what he said in his opening statement of the speech as he begins his fifth paragraph by saying “The facts of the matter are that there is no justification for an increase in the steel
While the use of imperative tone makes President Kennedy look confident and an authoritative figure, he tries to move away from the image of an executive or commander by using words such as “our” and “we” which not only connects him to his audience but also gives his audience a sense of power since his audience is thinking that a wealthy Harvard graduate president is supporting them rather than wealthy steel industry executives. This impersonalizes Kennedy’s speech and makes it more for the reader to understand what President Kennedy wants to convey. The president goes on to tell what rising steel prices mean for every American as he mentions that the prices of consumer good would rise while some Americans also may be out of a job which directly impacts his audience. This interests the audience because now the audience realizes that the rising steel prices impact them at a personal level and this is the moment when his audience starts to support Kennedy to go against steel company executives. The president gains trust by mentioning his source “Senator McNamara” and providing facts such as “an estimated one billion dollars to the cost of our defenses”. Then in the fifth paragraph, President Kennedy uses repetition by saying what he said in his opening statement of the speech as he begins his fifth paragraph by saying “The facts of the matter are that there is no justification for an increase in the steel