Two years before his assassination, John F. Kennedy gave one of the most motivational and influential speeches to the world at his inauguration. The presidential inauguration of 1961 introduced the new United States president to the world, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The presidential inauguration has one of the objectives to earn the trust of those who did not vote for the newly elected president. To conquer this objective, a reasonably persuasive inauguration speech is ideal. John F. Kennedy to make an appealing inauguration speech, used rhetorical modes and methods of persuasion, like parallelism, repetition, and pathos.
At the beginning of JFK's speech, the use of parallelism is used to affect the audience. JFK wanted the audience to relate his victory to a symbol of freedom. The persuasion in the first part of his speech is also used but in contrast with parallelism. The combination of both rhetorical modes is addressed when he says, 'Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.' The combination of persuasion and parallelism is not unusual in speeches. Still, Kenndy not only persuades his audience, but he also lists the actions his government will take, making his speech even more persuasive.
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The use of ethos was present in President Kennedy's speech. The objective of using ethos in his speech was to conquer the voter's trust after the election. President Kennedy always liked talking to people, so once he was elected, he knew how to apply ethos in his speech in a way to satisfy the voter's expectations at that moment. Back in 1961, not all Americans had a stable economic situation, so when President Kennedy said, 'break the bonds of mass misery,' he was immediately implying ethos to make Americans think about their situation. In the following statement, President Kennedy addresses those who are living in misery, 'If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich,' this statement abroad the majority of Americans, narrowing his focus to the poor and wealthy Americans, affecting the whole country.
Presidential Kennedy's speech also appeals to ethos through moral values. He mentions God in his speech when he addresses 'With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth and to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing here on earth God's work must truly be our own,' addressing God in his speech make moral standpoint clear to his audience. Throughout President Kennedy's essay, he makes statements that comfort his voter's newly elected president, an example can be found when he states, 'I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it.' America had just faced to Vietnam war, and President Kennedy used ethos one more time to comfort the Americans when he mentioned peace. Kennedy, in his speech, made Americans believe in peace again. Talking about peace affects not only groups, but it affects the whole country.
A good oratory skill is recognized when the orator uses a range of rhetorical modes. Another rhetorical mode that President Kennedy uses is repetition. Right at the beginning of his speech, Kennedy repeats at the beginning of each paragraph, the words 'those' and 'to.' The repetition of the same words in each paragraph made the listeners pay more attention to Kennedy's words at his inauguration. In the second part of the speech, President Kennedy addresses 'Let booth sides,' he starts four paragraphs using the same words. When President Kennedy mentions sides, he is addressing the United States and the countries that oppose the USA. Although it seems a comparison to USA enemies, Kennedy tries to draw similarities between the USA and other countries. President Kennedy's objective is to show his audience that other countries are seeking the same freedom as the USA is trying to find. Not only did words become repetitive use, but President Kennedy also repeated some of his ideas throughout his speech. Kennedy restated the concept of freedom multiple times in his speech.
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