A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS of John F. Kennedy’s INAUGURAL ADDRESS
The Rhetorical Analysis:
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.
[Two PARADOXES in a row, seemingly impossible statements which are, nonetheless, true. It’s the beginning of some things and the end of others; it’s both the renewal of some and the beginning of others.]
For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn…
[Here and hereafter, Kennedy likes to do ALLITERATION in pairs — often in two adjacent words.]
…oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.
[Homage here to Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” — no longer “Four score and seven,” but nearly 175 words since the year 1776 (actually 185 years). The following transition to NOW from the PAST is also reminiscent of Lincoln’s Address]
The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe…
[Here and hereafter, Kennedy uses “globe” rather than “world” or “Earth,” likely to emphasize the “It’s a small world” situation of the modern era. Isolationism can no longer be acceptable.]
… — the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.
[This is ANTITHESIS, the balance of opposites: not this, but this / “state” opposed to “God.”]
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution.
Let…
[The first of two “Let” openings of paragraphs. The repeated opening and any parallelism based upon repeated opening words or phrases is ANAPHORA.]
…the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed…
[This is an implied METAPHOR, there is no real torch being passed, but the word calls up the torch of the Statue of Liberty, the passing of the Olympic Torch, and the concept of Enlightenment / Knowledge / Intelligence all at once.]
… to a new generation of Americans —
[1] born in this century,
[2] tempered by war,
[3] disciplined by a hard and bitter peace,
[4] proud of our ancient heritage, and
[5] unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed…
[This is the first of JFK’s PENTACOLONS (five-clause or five-part parallel series). Kennedy seems to like to do things in fives. Lincoln loved the TRICOLON or three-part parallelism: “. . . of the people, by the people, for the people.” Note that each part of the series begins with an adjective. Balancing parts of speech and sentence structure is important in good parallel structuring.]
…and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill,…
[The ALLITERATION on the “W”s is enhanced by the use of CONSONANCE in the echoing of the “LL”s in “well” and “ill.”]
…that we shall
[1] pay any price,
[2] bear any burden,
[3] meet any hardship,
[4] support any friend,
[5] oppose any foe,…
[A second PENTACOLON here in the very next paragraph following his first use of the figure. Note that here the parallelisms begin with verbs.]
to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge — and more.
[Nice short sentence for transitional effect. Forget the “Training Wheels Rule”: “Never write a one-sentence paragraph.” It’s there in the elementary grades to keep beginning writers from doing too many short paragraphs. Another “Training Wheels Rule” is: “Never begin a sentence with a conjunction.” Forget that one too.]
To…
[The beginning of a series of paragraphs made parallel by ANAPHORA in that the opening word is “TO.”]
those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do — for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
[Directly an homage to Lincoln’s “A house divided against itself, and also a fine example of ANTITHESIS — the balance of opposites.]
To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom — and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
[Another IMPLIED (not EXPLICIT) METAPHOR. Full METAPHORS include both “Tenor” and “Vehicle.” The TENOR is the thing or concept being talked about; the VEHICLE is the term that carries the comparison or, in other words, is the thing to which the TENOR is being compared. Example: “New York City is a beehive of activity.” The “city” is the TENOR, the thing being talked about; “beehive” is the thing to which the city is being compared, the VEHICLE. In Kennedy’s IMPLIED METAPHOR above (as with “the torch” being passed in the text above) only the VEHICLE of the METAPHOR is stated, leaving us to figure out what “torch” and “tiger” are being compared to (or as some grammarians would have it: “. . . the things to which “torch” and “tiger” are being compared.” This is actually another “Training Wheels Rule” though: “Never end a sentence with a preposition.” This is actually an imposition upon English from the Latin language: Pre- and Positio literally do mean “in a before position,” which is always correct in Latin, but English (from Old English/Anglo-Saxon on) has always been fond of placing such words at the ends of sentences. A famous example of the sometime ridiculousness of this TWR is Winston Churchill’s response to his secretary who corrected him after he said, “This is something I won’t put up with.” Churchill reported responded with: “Well then — this is something up with which I shall not put.”]
To those peoples 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. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
[An excellent example of an ANTITHESIS; we go from “many” and “poor” to “few” and “rich.”]
To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge: to convert our good words into good deeds, in a new alliance for progress, to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas.
[Of course, a continuation of the Monroe Doctrine here.]
And let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.
To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support — to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective, to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak — and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.
[As with “writ” and “run,” ALLITERATION does not always mean the repetition of first letters (as the word “alliteration” suggests), but the repetition of initial sounds — whatever the first letter.]
Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.
We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed. [<< A clear statement against unilateral disarmament that many were advocating back at that time.]
But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course — both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind’s final war.
[Occasionally, the prose writer can discover or at least get away with RHYME as in “stead-,” “spread,” and “dead-“ and “han-“ and “man-“ here.]
So let us begin anew — remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.
[This is both the beginning of several paragraphs using ANAPHORA with the word “Let” to start things off. It is also the first of two CHIASMUS figures used by Kennedy in this speech. The Greek letter chi is what we would call an “X.” A CHIASMUS is a crossing or X-pattern of language: Here we have “negotiate,” “fear,” “fear,” negotiate.” More visually:
NF
FN]
Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
[Again, ANTITHESIS on unite and divide.]
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms, and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us
[1] explore the stars,
[2] conquer the deserts,
[3] eradicate disease,
[4] tap the ocean depths, and
[5] encourage the arts and commerce.
[Another PENTACOLON, the third one. This one, again, uses verbs to begin the parallel segments or “branches.”]
Let both sides unite to heed, in all corners of the earth, the command of Isaiah — to “undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free.”
[Perhaps another homage to Lincoln and the latter’s inclusion of Biblical passages in his Second Inaugural Address, considered by many to be the finest of such inaugural speeches.]
And, if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion…,
[Here we have two full/explicit METAPHORS, although possibly “mixed.” “Cooperation” (TENOR) is a “beechhead” (VEHICLE). And “Suspicion” (TENOR) is a “jungle” (VEHICLE).]
…let both sides join in creating a new endeavor — not a new balance of power, but a new world of law — where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.
[This is an example of POLYSYNDETON (“many conjunctions”) which goes against yet another “Training Wheels Rule”: “Always put an “and” before the last item of a series — x, y, and z.” With POLYSYNDETON, an “and” (or other conjunction) is placed between each pair of items in a series: x and y and z — as above.]
[1] All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days.
[2] Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days,
[3] nor in the life of this administration,
[4] nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
[This is a TETRACOLON (“four clauses” or parts in parallel). It’s also sort of eerily prophetic, since the second, third, and fourth branches of this series all happened to coincide with the assassination of Kennedy: 1000 days, the life of his administration, and his very life.]
In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again — not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need — not as a call to battle, though embattled we are…
[Again PARADOXES here: It’s “not a call to bear arms, though arms we need”; it’s “not a call to battle, though embattled we are.” It, of course, referenced the “Cold War.”]
… — but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation,” a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
[A very brief TETRACOLON.]
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind?
[This is a RHETORICAL QUESTION (Greek original name: EROTEMA). It’s a question framed in such a way that it shouts out an assertion or statement more than a true question.]
Will you join in that historic effort?
[This is an INVOLVING QUESTION, directly asking the audience or readership something they will likely consider, truly asking themselves.]
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility — I welcome it.
[ANTITHESIS here. “Shrinking” balanced against “welcoming.”]
I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion…
[This is the opposite of POLYSYNDETON (“many conjunctions”). This is ASYNDETON (“no conjunctions). The pattern is x, y, z rather than x, y, and z. No conjunctions are used or needed. We get the meaning without the final “and.”]
…which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
[Here we are again with the IMPLIED METAPHOR with the VEHICLE “fire,” although perhaps the multiple TENORS for this METAPHOR are: “energy,” “faith,” “devotion?”]
And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.
[Here the more famous CHIASMUS pattern: CY/YC]
My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds,
[Almost certainly, this is an homage to Lincoln’s conclusion in his Second Inaugural Address which is a wonderful TRICOLON (Lincoln’s favorite parallelism) followed by a TETRACOLON. Note the “With” clauses followed with the “Let” transition that Kennedy has been using above:
[1] “With malice toward none,
[2] with charity for all,
[3] with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right,
let us strive on
[1] to finish the work we are in,
[2] to bind up the nation’s wounds,
[3] to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan,
[4] to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
let us go forth to lead the land we love,…
[Nice finishing flourish of ALLITERATION on the letter “L” here making a very lyrical flow of language in conclusion.]
…asking his blessing and his help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.