A Truly Presidential Address

A quick visit to Google, and anyone can see that its signature logo has changed- that Google saw fit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. Intrigued, I decided to investigate what is clearly considered to be one of the most memorable and important speeches given by any of our presidents thus far. As I read and listened to him speak, it soon became clear why.

First of all, John F. Kennedy's composure while speaking to the people was nothing short of presidential. His voice rang out, cutting through the air with crisp and precise sentences. His tone paralleled his words--promising change and pledging the greatness of America. He was able to maintain eye contact for the most part with his audience, the American people- essential, as his whole speech was designed to exhort them into unity and action.

The speech itself largely uses pathos and ethos. Kennedy used pathos to draw on American nationalism, especially when he famously called Americans to “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” This appeal to emotion was especially effective as America was in the midst of the Cold War. One of the fundamentals of American ideology is freedom--the freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In this instance, Kennedy used ethos to appeal to the morals of this ideology, declaring,
    “To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds     of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever     period is required -- not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek     their votes, but because it is right [emphasis added].”

Kennedy’s diction constantly used the word “we-” "we shall, we forge, we dare-" effectively grouping Americans together as being on a mission rather than isolating himself as the leader while the people sat back and watched. His goal was to unite the people, not so that they could simply follow his lead. His speech also used rhetorical devices such as alliteration, to allow his words to flow more smoothly (“ whether it wishes us well or ill…”).
Combined, these examples enabled John F. Kennedy's speech to become so effective that even today, fifty years later, it is still just as memorable.You can see for yourself here-