The Inaugural Address Of 1961, By John F. Kennedy

Even though, it happened nearly 55 years ago, and the young national and international audience of that time had become older. They could not forget “the Inaugural address of 1961” by John F. Kennedy. Where Kennedy used the freedom, the revolutionary beliefs, liberty, righteousness, and other words as key terms. Indeed, through the use of the mentioned key terms used, Kennedy appealed to the noble emotions of both Americans and non American people. Kennedy’s remarks pursued to create a feeling of unity through the phrases such as “Let us” and “We pledge” that people in the audience felt part of a good cause.
Kennedy’s remark pretended to use multiple common terms like freedom, liberty, righteousness, and unity that people might get more connected
with the inaugural speech. Freedom a key term used many times along the speech, with the end of inspiring the conscience for something good and gaining feelings of acceptance in the audience. For example, “We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom”. Kennedy tried to awake since the beginning not just nationalist feelings and ideals, but human ideals.
Another clear Key terms were righteousness and unity.
Kennedy used the term of the right, he wanted to motivate the heart of the people that they could look for a right cause that men should be inclined to think that America fought for a right reason. Therefore, once the audience was persuaded and encouraged to fight for a noble cause like the liberty, justice, and service of all fellowman. Then Kennedy needed the key term of unity that he could gather those who listened his speech into one group, an united group by an speech backed up on proper reasons like the progress, the support, and the peace . For example, “United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do -- for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split
asunder”
Moreover, as Kennedy used the different key terms, people could see or assumed how the audience was motivated by the noble desires of the speech. People could experiment this involvement feeling since an etic and emic perspective of America. In the emic side because Kennedy tried to create a relation between the Americans of his time and of the times of the Founding Fathers. Kennedy looked that people would think that again they are fighting for the reason of the liberty as their ancestors. “The world is very different now. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe”
Also, in an etic way because Kennedy’s speech tried to gathered not just Americans, but everybody in the side of America.
Kennedy’s remarks inculcate to promote the idea of union between west and east, between two different world powers, and between two different cultures, yet with the objective of progress. For example “Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease…., and encourage the arts and commerce.” Furthermore, another element besides the key terms and the inspiration of feelings, was the words and the phrases such as “Let us” and “We pledge” that Kennedy used. Those phrases in order that people could get identified into Kennedy’s purpose. These phrases “Let us” and “We pledge” had an special work, the work was that people might feel part of something with goodness, virtue, and good reputation. In fact, phrases like “Let us” or “We pledge” strengthened the connection between the audience and Kennedy’s ideal. For example, “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to
negotiate.” In conclusion, Kennedy’s remark used key terms such as freedom, union, justice to motivate people in a united position. Indeed, the noble ideals caused an encouragement in both national and international audiences. Moreover, Kennedy also used phrases like “Let us” to intensify the relation between the listeners and the purposes of America that they could feel more identified with the ideal of a just cause.