1. What is the author arguing?
John F. Kennedy is not exactly arguing anything. In his address he is mostly reassuring the Americans that their choice was a good one. He shares his hopes for the country and is honest with them about it. He makes a point to show them that he is not making empty promises because he realizes all he is hoping for can not be accomplished in his term. Kennedy is not trying to prove an argument at all. He is trying to give America hope for the future.
2. How does the author appeal
to logos (logic), pathos (emotional quality), and ethos
(the writer’s perceived character) with their argument?
Kennedy's address is very moving. He makes a point to appeal to the logos, pathos, and ethos. For the logos he has the idea of becoming civil with all of the countries that we were rivals with. He makes a point to point out that it is not a sign of weakness and we could actually use our resources to work together to improve the world instead of burden it. For the pathos he talks about helping the pour not only in our country but others as well. He goes as far as pledging to the countries below us to convert our good words into good deeds. He shows that he genuinely cares for the well being of the less fortunate and is willing to help them is the Americans stand behind him. I believe the line "ask not what your country can do for you-- ask what you can do for your country" sums up the ethos perfectly. Though he wants to help everyone, he knows that he is going to need support and help from the Americans.
3. What is the historical
significance/relevance of this document?
This was the beginning of John F. Kennedy's position as president. These are all the promises he made and the vision he had for America's future. Even though he did not get the chance to see the end of his term, I feel like American's still tried to achieve his goals for him.
4. Do you find the author’s
argument convincing? Why or why not?
Though it was not an actual argument, I found this very convincing. With each thought her had, he had a way of doing it. I liked the fact that he wanted Americans to know that he wasn't making empty promises and he actually was working towards all of this happening. I know a lot of us worry that the president is just saying stuff to look good, but with that we know that he was sincere. If I was a person of this time i would be ecstatic for him to be my president. He has dreams and he wants to find a way to achieve them. Not only are they just on our home soil, but they would help us internationally to make more allies and to have a better conscious. In this address there is a sense of sincerity that you can not fake, and that is why I believe what he said.
Hi Jamilah,
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis!
I feel that the innaugural speech is one of the most important speeches a president will give, because it maps out the president's plan for the next foour years. It is a very defining moment for the new leader.
Kennedy entered the White House as president during a very trying time in our history. It was crucial for him to assert his authority as a strong leader, but also not push any buttons that may start a full out war.
I like that he acknowledges the fact that peace cannot be achieved by his efforts alone. He emplores not only for the help of the American people, but also for open negotiations with our nation's foes. Asking for negotiations on such a public stage, in my opinion, is somewhat risky because the whole world is watching. Kennedy did an excellent job of approaching this controversial subject.
I also like that Kennedy didn't leave out the other nations that America currently had dealings with. He stated his plan of interaction with South America, and also said that America wouldn't forget about the smaller less fortunate nations of the world. Like you mentioned, Jamilah, Kennedy stated that he planned to help these impoverished nations by helping them help themselves. He doesn't elaborate on what this means, but one can only assume that it means America will provide aid to those countries in need without causing their success to be reliant on America's aid.
Probably my favorite thing about this speech is how straight forward it is. Kennedy made his message very clear and left no room for misinterpretaion.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJamilah,
ReplyDeleteYour text analyses is great and you have done a well job of answering the questions in full knowledge and giving as much information as needed to understand the text more thoroughly. The Inauguration speech is a very crucial speech to every president because it basically lays out all his plans, views, and hope for the country in a limited time frame and space. John F. Kennedy's inauguration speech shows us how strong morals were, how great the problems were, and how carefully the problems were taken care of. J.F Kennedy became president when the country was at a weak point, struggling to gain strength and hope for the people, and he approaches this in a very professional, yet practical manner. We see that he promises great change to the nation but says "All this will not be finished in the 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days" telling the people that he promises to bring change, but it will take time. "In your hands, my fellow citizens, more then in mine" is a line he used to tell the people that they need to work together to bring change to the nation and not only rely on the president to know all the answers because many times, citizens expect the president to fix everything on his own and in a timely manner, as if he is super man. I find this speech important to history because it sets a good example of proper leadership, promises, improvement, and ways to approach certain issues. Kennedy made promises, but he made it clear that it might take time before those promises become reality, which shows he didn't make empty promises, but urged the nation to come as one and help turn the promises into reality, because it's impossible for one person to change around a whole nation on his own.
Hi Jamilah,
ReplyDeleteWonderful analysis! I completely agree that Kennedy is not arguing anything, but yet, he is attempting to lay out his future plans and goals. He is assuring that American people that he is not full of empty promises. Just like every other president, he was here to give us hope for the future. I like how you quoted, "ask not what your country can do for you-- ask what you can do for your country" This is a quote that went down in history and it truly gave the American people a different way to look at their life and how they can help one another instead of expecting help from the country. This quote definitley showed a down to earth side of Kennedy. I also agree with your sense of how sincere Kennedy was. There are some things that you just cannot fake, and being sincere is one of them. I too would have been estatic to have him as my president if I was around during that time.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI could not have wrote about #1 better than you have, i fully agree with you on that.He was simply trying to make the American people clear on his plans for the future. In # 2 i really liked the use of the quote to support your viewpoint on the subject. For part three, I think it was important for many reasons, but you described one reason well. And on #4, I agree with what you said about the speech feeling genuine. I felt that he was very serious about what he said, and because he was serious, I agree it was convincing.
I think you’ve done a wonderful job on your analysis. You were very thorough and I agree with everything you’ve said! Something specific that was reoccurring throughout your analysis was that Kennedy was very passionate about his strives for world peace. He talked about the world as a whole on many occasion and he made it very clear that he alone could not make peace with a snap of his fingers. It would take both time and effort. From this speech, I can see that Kennedy was a very reasonable and rational man, talking to the audience with an open mind that understood America, the world, and the interests of the common good. He knew that the American people and those abroad should collaborate and put in a collective effort to come together and keep from going to war with each other. He championed the betterment of the lives of people constantly.
ReplyDeleteSomething that Kennedy talked about also made me see the ethos he’d used very well (and the quote you used was absolutely perfect; I probably would have used the very same one to describe the impression Kennedy gave to the world that day!), and that was his knowledge of arm’s race that was currently taking place. More and more nations were advancing their technology, and someone who was listening to the speech would have seen that Kennedy didn’t view the arm’s race as a money-making scheme, but as an opportunity to work with other nations and advance technology (not weapons, but general technology) for the common good.
As for the common good, he seemed very persistent in helping all those he possible could, mostly the poor, whether they lived in America or abroad. This inauguration speech was, like you said in question 4, made him seem sincere. When I’d finished the speech, I had literally said, “Wow, that was a great speech.” Very few speeches really make me believe in someone like that, but just imagining how he could have spoken that speech on his inauguration day would have immediately won me over.