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Antithesis In Kennedy's Inaugural Address

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In the height of the Cold War, the newly elected president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, had come to up the eastern portico of the US capitol in Washington DC on a cold January afternoon to deliver his first address in presidency about his plans and goals for the future of the United States. He announced his plan to relieve political tensions with enemies, and improve the way that America was headed for. All of America was listening in on Kennedy’s words, as well as people across the world. President Kennedy, through the use of rhetoric and diction, had one of the most well-constructed, influential, and important speeches ever given.
As a result of the anxiety amongst the American population because of the Cold War, Kennedy used many action words …show more content…
He begins the address by saying “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 (Paragraph 1).” This is declared at the beginning to show that it isn’t important that his party won; what is important is the progression and influence of democracies around the world. This shows Kennedy’s common interest with the American people. It is showing that though he wants better relations with the Soviet Union, he is still a supporter of freedom, democracy, capitalism and rights. There are numerous other examples of antithesis, such as when he says that they need to create a new attempt to create “not a new balance of power, but a new world of law (paragraph 20).” The 1960’s were a terrifying time for America and the western world, but with carefully chosen diction, cleverly placed rhetoric, promises of protection and an optimistic view for the future, he created a thin blanket of hope across America. He showed the Soviets that he wouldn’t allow them to enforce their political views on others, but also showed them he wanted to work with them, not against them. Kennedy’s great inaugural address was a wonderful speech, possibly one of the best ever made by any US president, reaching out to millions of people, not just in the US, but around the

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