The 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, in his first inaugural address, aims to inspire Americans by outlining his plans for the future as he takes the oath of office. Kennedy's aim is to gain the support of more Americans, considering that the 1960 election was a losing bet, and to promote peace throughout the world. He strikes a hopeful tone to motivate Americans and citizens of other countries to work together to reform the world we live in. Although Kennedy's inaugural address was one of the shortest, it is often considered one of the most powerful speeches in history. He says that freedom is an important topic for Americans and he wants them to know that he will ensure it for them through his use of appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Kennedy begins his speech by addressing his audience; former presidents, vice presidents and citizens. He appeals to ethics by stating, "for I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath that our forefathers prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago," and "the belief that the rights of man do not arise from the generosity of 'man". state, but by the hand of God” (Kennedy). By making these assurances, Kennedy is creating credibility for himself and gaining the trust of his audience. Kennedy appeals to pathos with the use of parallelism. “That first revolution” is a parallel to this century, “tempered by war, disciplined by a harsh and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage” (Kennedy). These words are used to convince the public that their help is necessary to move our country forward and prevent another war. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we will pay any price, bear any burden, face any hardship, support any friend, oppose any enemy, to ensure the survival and success of freedom” is a strong example message of asyndeton for the lack of conjunctions in the sentence. Kennedy uses it here to point out that the freedom of a nation is necessary for the freedom of individuals. Finally, Kennedy uses logos engaging in different groups to persuade the public that they need to unite. It is committed to supporting old allies, new states, the people in the huts and villages, our sister republics south of our border, the United Nations, and the nations that would make us our adversaries. In this way Kennedy attempts to demonstrate that “civility is not a sign of weakness and sincerity is always subject to testing”. He goes on to carefully place the anaphora, “let both sides” (Kennedy), which adds emphasis to his point that countries must come together to succeed. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Kennedy asserts that freedom is an important topic for Americans through his use of appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. Among these rhetorical devices, he includes figurative language, such as asyndeton, parallelism, and anaphora. To preserve their freedom, Americans must contribute to it.