Rhetorical Analysis Of Jfk Speech

There is a young man sitting in front of the television staring into the eyes of the viewers before he glances down to start speaking. Edward Kennedy’s speaks on the tragedy that happened on July 18, 1969 on Chappaquiddick Island, that resulted in the death of a young woman named Mary Jo Kopechne. Mary Jo was a secretary of the late Robert Kennedy and was still working with the Kennedy family. He begins his speech to communicate that he has “entered a plea of guilty to the charge of leaving the scene of an accident.” (paragraph 1, line 2-3) This confession of the proceedings he has gone through is an example of Bitzer theory on exigence based on the fact that he is not only admitting his crime but stating that there are more proceedings to
He states “And so I ask you tonight, the people of Massachusetts, to think this through with me. In facing this decision, I seek your advice and opinion.” In doing this he is hoping for the audiences say on what his decision should be in helping him make the decision. In doing this Edward is capable of being influenced based on their opinions. Showing how he is invoking change with his openness. Directly after that he states “In making it, I seek your prayers -- for this is a decision that I will have finally to make on my own.” (paragraph 17, line 2-3) Edward is displaying Bitzer rhetoric constraints by asking for the advice of the people but realizing that it will be his choice in the end. Something he will have to decide on his own. Based on his beliefs and his confession of guilt on the situation he knows that it will be a choice that could not only change his life but the lives of his family and the citizens of