JFK Inaugural Address

John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s Inaugural Address was one of the most momentous speeches in United States history as it influenced a great number of people to accomplish incredible things. Kennedy’s authoritative tone and usage of grandiose phrasing puts him on a pedestal as a figure that appears to be more than just a man. The article, “Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration, 50 years on,” written by Eleanor Clift, help regular civilians gain a thorough understanding of JFK’s Inaugural Address by interpreting it in a way contrary from the average citizen. Eleanor Clift’s article establishes an informal mood of the day of JFK’s Inaugural Address by displaying personal experiences of the inauguration, which creates an informal and relaxed atmosphere, allowing Kennedy's grandiose dreams to seem more attainable. Clift’s article helps to establish a personal and intimate tone of the events around Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. Her tone makes Kennedy seem more relatable and equal to the typical citizen, shaping Kennedy’s use of authoritative language, such as during the 19th Paragraph of Kennedy’s Inaugural Address Kennedy says “Ask not what your country can do for you-- ask what you can do for your country,” and also in the 3rd paragraph of his address he says “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden,” feel less as if he is demanding that the people do what he wants and more as if he is influencing the people into creating an exceptional world. Clift’s piece presents Kennedy as someone who understands the people, which allows Kennedy to use ethos, people are able to trust Kennedy due to his awareness of the citizens circumstances and the government, and pathos, people can now believe that Kennedy is one of the common people and he is given the ability to understand the endeavors through which common people must persevere. Clift builds a casual tone when writing about personal experiences, such as when she writes, “We just talked about the campaign and how we won everything and that’s why he was president, just jokes. And then he signed a picture for us, and it said, ‘To Jean, …show more content…
This is demonstrated when Clift gives a more intimate version of Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, allowing the newer generations to gain insight on what it would be like to have been at his speech 50 years ago. The intimate atmosphere created in Clifts article through the use of quotes and extra details about people at the speech, such as “If he doesn’t stop now, I’m quitting the church” (Clift 9), and “She does remember how Frank Sinatra stuck his head into her bedroom to say hello” (Clift 11), allows people to change their view of how life was fifty years ago and create a more accurate version of Kennedy’s goals. Clift’s article gave the citizens a thorough evaluated perspective of Kennedy’s speech and elevated people’s thoughts about the speech as well. When Clift changes the tone from cheerful to serious the people are able to discern that the importance of Kennedy’s speech lies within the serious tone of her article, this creates a focus point around those ideas and goals. The serious tone not only provides the newer generations with a better interpretation of Kennedy’s speech, but also allows them to understand which of Kennedy’s key points are the most important and which shouldn’t be focused on as