I was assigned to do an essay for AP Language & Composition using John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech. Below are the basic requirements and guidelines:
I chose to do mine in past tense. This is what I have so far - it's supposed to be only one page long, singe-spaced in Microsoft Word which explains the shortness. I haven't written a conclusion yet, but I will in a little while and then I'll update my post. I need some really good feedback please, because I asked her for some and she said it was great so far and that I integrated the text well - which doesn't tell me much. :/
It would also help to read the speech too. (I don't doubt that it's on the internet) But don't worry, because it's not very long. It's actually one of the shortest inaugural speeches of any President.
After our dissection and intensive study of JFK’s inaugural speech, your task is to create a one page essay (single spaced) that analyzes the rhetorical strategies he employs in order to achieve his purpose. This is a formula paper. Basically, you are saying that _____ and _____ create _____.
Things to remember
1) all of the mechanical and content errors that we have named
2) create an introduction that funnels and sets context (this is where you make connections)
3) incorporate text, do not simply place it in the middle of your writing
4) cite your source according to the paragraph number EX: (16)
5) create a conclusion that is not merely a repeat of the intro
Things to remember
1) all of the mechanical and content errors that we have named
2) create an introduction that funnels and sets context (this is where you make connections)
3) incorporate text, do not simply place it in the middle of your writing
4) cite your source according to the paragraph number EX: (16)
5) create a conclusion that is not merely a repeat of the intro
It would also help to read the speech too. (I don't doubt that it's on the internet) But don't worry, because it's not very long. It's actually one of the shortest inaugural speeches of any President.
John F. Kennedy Inaugural Speech Essay
John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech when dissected reveals a wide array of rhetorical strategies that all serve for a single purpose - to liken Americans to his ideals. There are two balances of power in his speech that make his purpose quite evident; the contrasts of the old to the new. John F. Kennedy wanted change and reform very much like those of the “first revolution” (3) and because of this he needed to have the American citizens on his side. Thus, the use of historical heritage and language combined with ideological pursuits and propositions enabled John F. Kennedy to inspire and appeal to the American and global population.
Nearly “a century and three-quarters ago” (1) the “forebears” (1) of our nation “prescribed” (1) the ceremony to have a President “sworn before [the people] and Almighty God” (1) into the Presidential office of the United States of America, just like John F. Kennedy in the year 1961. Being connected to past leaders in that manner, John F. Kennedy goes on to inspire the citizens of America through comparisons with the past to the present because “the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe” (2). As “heirs of that first revolution” (3) it is the duty of the Americans to ensure that “the rights of man” (2) given to them by God are protected around the globe because “if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” (8) John F. Kennedy also appeals to the people in our neighboring countries through this strong oratory so that they may “join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas” (9) much like the efforts of those in the American Revolution. The fighting with their “adversary”, (11) will become a “quest for peace” (11) under John F. Kennedy because the western “Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house” (9) and thus would instill inspiration in this “new generation of Americans” (3) to be “unwilling to witness…the slow undoing of those human rights” (3) that were previously mentioned.
To achieve peace between these “two great and powerful groups of nations” (13) John F. Kennedy proposes that they “formulate” (16) a way to keep the “control of arms” (16) “under the absolute control of all nations” (16) so as to unite the people of the world instead of dividing them. Kennedy also brings fresh ideas to the American population in order to “[create] a new endeavor…where the peace [is] preserved”, (19) a theme that was most prominent in the youth of America at the time of his inauguration. However, the catch is that Kennedy “will not [finish these goals] in the first one hundred days…nor in…our lifetime” (20) so that they [the audience] may be examples onto future generations of young Americans. These future generations would then continue the work for peace as Kennedy intended just as the revolutionaries intended for Americans to carry on their rights for freedom. Not only would they have to bring peace amongst themselves, but they will also have to “struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself” (22) to bring about real change even though it might be a slow process in the long-run. These set proposals and pursuits that John F. Kennedy placed before the people at the time of his speech were meant for them to realize that they had to come together so that “the energy, the faith, the devotion which [they would] bring to this endeavor [would] light [the] country [America] and all who serve it”. (24)
John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech when dissected reveals a wide array of rhetorical strategies that all serve for a single purpose - to liken Americans to his ideals. There are two balances of power in his speech that make his purpose quite evident; the contrasts of the old to the new. John F. Kennedy wanted change and reform very much like those of the “first revolution” (3) and because of this he needed to have the American citizens on his side. Thus, the use of historical heritage and language combined with ideological pursuits and propositions enabled John F. Kennedy to inspire and appeal to the American and global population.
Nearly “a century and three-quarters ago” (1) the “forebears” (1) of our nation “prescribed” (1) the ceremony to have a President “sworn before [the people] and Almighty God” (1) into the Presidential office of the United States of America, just like John F. Kennedy in the year 1961. Being connected to past leaders in that manner, John F. Kennedy goes on to inspire the citizens of America through comparisons with the past to the present because “the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe” (2). As “heirs of that first revolution” (3) it is the duty of the Americans to ensure that “the rights of man” (2) given to them by God are protected around the globe because “if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” (8) John F. Kennedy also appeals to the people in our neighboring countries through this strong oratory so that they may “join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas” (9) much like the efforts of those in the American Revolution. The fighting with their “adversary”, (11) will become a “quest for peace” (11) under John F. Kennedy because the western “Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house” (9) and thus would instill inspiration in this “new generation of Americans” (3) to be “unwilling to witness…the slow undoing of those human rights” (3) that were previously mentioned.
To achieve peace between these “two great and powerful groups of nations” (13) John F. Kennedy proposes that they “formulate” (16) a way to keep the “control of arms” (16) “under the absolute control of all nations” (16) so as to unite the people of the world instead of dividing them. Kennedy also brings fresh ideas to the American population in order to “[create] a new endeavor…where the peace [is] preserved”, (19) a theme that was most prominent in the youth of America at the time of his inauguration. However, the catch is that Kennedy “will not [finish these goals] in the first one hundred days…nor in…our lifetime” (20) so that they [the audience] may be examples onto future generations of young Americans. These future generations would then continue the work for peace as Kennedy intended just as the revolutionaries intended for Americans to carry on their rights for freedom. Not only would they have to bring peace amongst themselves, but they will also have to “struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself” (22) to bring about real change even though it might be a slow process in the long-run. These set proposals and pursuits that John F. Kennedy placed before the people at the time of his speech were meant for them to realize that they had to come together so that “the energy, the faith, the devotion which [they would] bring to this endeavor [would] light [the] country [America] and all who serve it”. (24)
Comment