Of all the speeches and performances that I’ve witnessed throughout my life, only one still gives me chills when I watch it: John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address. In the speech, he outlines his view for America and calls all Americans to action under one common cause, demonstrating his rhetorical skill throughout the speech by using powerful rhetorical devices and always speaking clearly and confidently while taking intentional, measured pauses to let his words sink in.
Kennedy’s entire speech is littered with parallelism; the start of almost every new thought is structurally tied to the one before it. For example, when addressing different segments of the population, he begins each idea in the same way: “To those new states… To those people… To our sister republics… To that world assembly… to those nations…”. Of course, this parallelism is most evident in the most famous line of his speech: “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”. This careful structuring contributes significantly to the impact of the speech. The entire product feels well-connected and deliberate, the repetition searing the importance of each point into the audience’s head.
However, mere parallelism is not enough to give a good speech. The most important part of the speech, and where Kennedy shines, is in his delivery. Each word is punched out intentionally and clearly even through Kennedy’s thick Boston accent, which lends to the speech by sounding distinctly and unarguably American. Kennedy stands confidently at the helm of the nation, proudly delivering a speech about the strength of America and the individual responsibility of Americans. He doesn’t speak quickly – he moves through the address methodically and with many pauses, allowing his message to properly sink in. As Kennedy works through the speech, the intensity builds and his gestures become more pronounced and more dramatic. He begins to pound on the podium to drive each word home, until, when he delivers the “ask not” line, he points directly at the audience, seeming to call out specific individuals to do their duty to their country. Kennedy’s inaugural address is a perfect example of speech delivery, and his skill with rhetoric contributed massively to his ability to carry out the duties of the Oval Office.