JFK Inaugural Address Analysis

Alliteration“Let us go forth to lead the land we love.” Allusion“I have sworn before you and all mighty God.” Personification“With history the final judge of our deeds” Metaphor“We are the heirs of the first revolution.” Hortative Sentence“So let us begin a new one…” PathosBased on the emotions of JFK. Cumulative Sentence But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort…yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance. Oxymoron“But this peaceful revolution.” AntimetaboleAsk not what your country..” Rhetorical Question“Will you joining in the historic effort?” Archaic Diction“Beliefs for which our for bears fought are still at issue around the globe.” Imagery“The torch has been to a new generation of Americans.”

Ethos “The command of Isaiah- to undo the heavy burdens and let the oppressed go free.” Juxtaposition“We are the heirs of the revolution…” Periodic Sentence“To that world assembly of sovereign states… we renew our pledge of support” Inversion“And so, my fellow Americans..” Metonymy“In your hands, my fellow citizens, more then mine, will rest the final success of failure of our course” Antithesis“We shall support any friend, oppose any foe.” Anaphora“Let both sides…” Zeugma“Now the trumpet summons again… but a call to bear the burden.” Asyndeton“We shall pay any price… oppose any for to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” Parallelism“United there is a little we cannot do in host cooperative ventures divided there is little we can do…” Imperative Sentence“My fellow citizens of the world… but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

Alliteration: When JFK uses alliteration he creates a rhythm with words, which in turns will refocus the audience. Allusion: JFK makes many biblical allusions, which refers to his Catholic faith. Anaphora: In paragraphs 14-17 JFK starts clause with “Let both sides…” The reason why he does this is to make a clear point. Antimetable: JFK uses this to create a different syntax, which puts the audience into deeper thought. Antithesis: JFK uses an antithesis to show what he stands for and what he is against; it makes it clear as water to his point of view. Archaic Diction: Using archaic diction can appeal to the “older generation” of people. Asyndeton: JFK doesn’t use conjunctions in some of his sentences because it creates an emotional appeal the makes the audience listens to the complete sentence. Cumulative sentence: JFK doesn’t use this as much as other rhetorical devices because of the length, but it is still a very effective tool. Hortative sentence: hortative sentences are clear and direct which is perfect in a Presidential speech. Imperative Sentence. These are the opposite sentences to a hortative one, which is good to use to relax the audience. Inversion: When used correctly these can be very powerful.

Juxtaposition: Commonly used to point out the two opposite powers. Metonymy: Not used very much in modern speeches but can often make the audience feel eye-to-eye with JFK. Oxymoron: JFK wrote, “But this peaceful revolution”, an oxymoron is an ironic statement that some find funny. Parallelism: Used even by high schoolers, this is an essential part of ant well-rounded speech. Periodic Sentence: The point of this is to build up emotion until the last part of the sentence where the main idea sits. Personification: Gives inanimate objects human characteristics, it builds up the intelligence of the writer. Rhetorical Question: Used not just by JFK but also by every day people to give the audience something to question while they listen. Zeugma: Uses the same word twice but with different meanings both times.