Comparison Essay
The two outstanding and inspiring presidents, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, in their first inaugural address speech they attempted at explaining their agenda to American people. Although, the president’s speeches had a similar purpose for they are very different, and one has a better impact than the other.
JFK’s speech was a very inspiring and motivating speech to the American people. JFK started the speech off by complementing America and making citizens proud of the country they live in. By doing this Kennedy, was able to convince people later on to be on board with his well thought out agenda. Unlike Kennedy’s introduction Reagan starts off his speech by thanking his country then eventually telling them that they have a significant problem. Because he started off by pointing out the problems, he crushed the citizens thought of living in such an amazing country which eventually would make it difficult to convince citizens to be on board with his plan. The reason people would not be on board with his plan is because he talked about the bad in a very nationalistic country. So it is not a good idea telling a nationalistic country that they have problems.
Later on in JFK’s speech he begins to use parallelism which allowed him to create a sense of urgency. By using parallelism, he was able to emphasize his agenda and why it can be seen all throughout his speech. This is shown when he said, “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”(Kennedy). By using parallelism like this, he was able to create a balanced flow of ideas and uses it as a tool of persuasion to influence Americans to go out and make the America a better place. Unlike Kennedy, Reagan favored using the rhetorical device, metaphor because he wanted to compare the problems of America to various things. An example of his use of rhetorical questions is shown when he says, "But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?"(Reagan). He did rhetorical questions like this so his audience would comprehend what his agenda is and what is happening in his country. By doing this Reagan, was able to get his audience to understand his point he was trying to make which was effective, but not as effective as JFK parallelism. The reason JFK’s parallelism was superior to Reagan’s overly used metaphors is because parallelism allowed him to emphasize his agenda and persuade his audience to be on board and agree with his ideas. Parallelism was a better rhetorical device to use because it can be used as a tool for persuasion which is perfect for an inaugural address.
From reading the two inspirational speeches, I believe that JFK’s speech is far more effective and does a better job of persuading the country to be on board with his ideas. JFK speech is more effective because he made a considerable emphasis on his claim that became very redundant that would be more effective for persuasion which is the purpose of an inaugural address. This is shown when JFK says, "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty." Because parallelism emphasizes a point it was more persuasive than Reagan’s rhetorical questions and metaphors. Reagan's weak attempts are shown when he says, ""Why then should we think that collectively, as a nation, we are not bound by that same limitation?". JFK’s speech created a sense of urgency which would want to make citizens ask themselves what they can do for their country. Reagan’s speech attempted at making a sense of urgency however was unable to emphasize his point to the extent that JFK did.
Despite their difference JFK’s and Ronald Reagan’s speeches both attempted at emphasizing that America is not at its pinnacle, and it can be significantly improved. The president develops his claim by using various rhetorical devices to emphasize the point that America could be a better country. Also, both presidents create a motivating and inspiring tone for his country, so citizens will be inspired to be on board with his agenda and help them create a better United States of America. The central ideas in both the speeches were to establish a sense of security and the nationalistic feelings in America which assured Americans of their nation’s power and strength.
JFK’s speech was a very inspiring and motivating speech to the American people. JFK started the speech off by complementing America and making citizens proud of the country they live in. By doing this Kennedy, was able to convince people later on to be on board with his well thought out agenda. Unlike Kennedy’s introduction Reagan starts off his speech by thanking his country then eventually telling them that they have a significant problem. Because he started off by pointing out the problems, he crushed the citizens thought of living in such an amazing country which eventually would make it difficult to convince citizens to be on board with his plan. The reason people would not be on board with his plan is because he talked about the bad in a very nationalistic country. So it is not a good idea telling a nationalistic country that they have problems.
Later on in JFK’s speech he begins to use parallelism which allowed him to create a sense of urgency. By using parallelism, he was able to emphasize his agenda and why it can be seen all throughout his speech. This is shown when he said, “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”(Kennedy). By using parallelism like this, he was able to create a balanced flow of ideas and uses it as a tool of persuasion to influence Americans to go out and make the America a better place. Unlike Kennedy, Reagan favored using the rhetorical device, metaphor because he wanted to compare the problems of America to various things. An example of his use of rhetorical questions is shown when he says, "But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?"(Reagan). He did rhetorical questions like this so his audience would comprehend what his agenda is and what is happening in his country. By doing this Reagan, was able to get his audience to understand his point he was trying to make which was effective, but not as effective as JFK parallelism. The reason JFK’s parallelism was superior to Reagan’s overly used metaphors is because parallelism allowed him to emphasize his agenda and persuade his audience to be on board and agree with his ideas. Parallelism was a better rhetorical device to use because it can be used as a tool for persuasion which is perfect for an inaugural address.
From reading the two inspirational speeches, I believe that JFK’s speech is far more effective and does a better job of persuading the country to be on board with his ideas. JFK speech is more effective because he made a considerable emphasis on his claim that became very redundant that would be more effective for persuasion which is the purpose of an inaugural address. This is shown when JFK says, "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty." Because parallelism emphasizes a point it was more persuasive than Reagan’s rhetorical questions and metaphors. Reagan's weak attempts are shown when he says, ""Why then should we think that collectively, as a nation, we are not bound by that same limitation?". JFK’s speech created a sense of urgency which would want to make citizens ask themselves what they can do for their country. Reagan’s speech attempted at making a sense of urgency however was unable to emphasize his point to the extent that JFK did.
Despite their difference JFK’s and Ronald Reagan’s speeches both attempted at emphasizing that America is not at its pinnacle, and it can be significantly improved. The president develops his claim by using various rhetorical devices to emphasize the point that America could be a better country. Also, both presidents create a motivating and inspiring tone for his country, so citizens will be inspired to be on board with his agenda and help them create a better United States of America. The central ideas in both the speeches were to establish a sense of security and the nationalistic feelings in America which assured Americans of their nation’s power and strength.