Question

In about one hundred words, analyze Kennedy's Inaugural Address: his reasoning, purposes, and the way his uses literary devices and historical references.

Answer 1

President Kennedy´s inaugural speech was delivered on January 20th, 1961 i Washington after Kennedy was elected the 35th president of the United States. It is also important to understand that Kennedy assumed the presidency at the peak of the Cold War, when the tension between the U.S and the Soviet Union was at its highest level and there was fear both of nuclear war and also of the intervention of both sides on their national lives. This is exactly the two bases that feed Kennedy´s speech. He uses several literary techniques, like repetition, use of historical references and sources and metaphors, just to mention a few, to achieve two goals: first, to increase the favorability towards his presidency by showing the people his desire to fight against the communist threat, which was the most important topic to Americans at the time, and also to motivate his audience´s sense of patriotism and belonging through historical connection, particularly with events of the American past. But even more than that, Kennedy manages to make his speech world-inclusive, meaning that in several of his phrases, he includes the citizens of the world, encouraging with this a pro-American feeling in detriment of an inclination towards the Soviet Union.  In any case, Kennedy´s speech has become, next to Lincoln´s, one of the most applauded and admired in America and even the world.

Answer 2

Kennedy's reasoning was to have an impact worldwide and make the United States citizens feel like they can accomplish anything in this great country. An example is when he said, "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country". Kennedy's purpose was to help his Peace Corps to become a success and make the world a peaceful place. He uses many literary devices throughout his speech to get his message across and to impress the audience. When he says, "We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom, symbolizing an end as well as a beginning, signifying renewal as well as change", this is a form of Antithesis. He also uses many historical references an example is when he uses the Declaration of Independence by saying "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."