Kennedy Speech Analysis

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action. The first person pronoun "we" is also something that is used multiple times. This is supposed to create a certain feeling of togetherness and makes the listener feel as if Kennedy is a part of the American people, and not "above" them. Furthermore, the speaker makes use of the auxiliary verb "shall" (1.1) which indicates his certainty for achieving the goals he mentions. Lastly, there are heavy alliterations such as "pay any price" (1.1), "bear any burden" (II.1 f.) and friend and foe (cf.1.2). These can also be seen as collocations. They create a rhythm in the sentence which makes it more memorable to people. Aside from mere stylistic devices, which support the speaker's message, there are some words or phrases that are particularly important for the meaning of the excerpt. The introduction to the speech are the words "Let every nation know (...)" (1.1). This is a reference to the American missionary spirit that causes many citizens to believe that their norms should be spread to all parts of the world. He is specificallly aiming at letting the Soviet Union know about these goals of his, possibly wanting to intimidate them. Kennedy is trying to do this in his address, which is broadcasted to many other countries. The words "to support any friend" (1.2) allude to the concept of equalty, part of the American Dream and constituted in the Declaration of Independence, that every person should receive the same amount of support. By mentioning that the country will "bear any burden, meet any hardship" (II.1 f.), the president is creating another relation to the American Dream, as this can be associated with the belief that anything can be achieved through hard work, despite the challenges that one might face. Viewed against the stated political background, one can find many connections between John F. Kennedy's speech and his ambitions in the Cold War, as well as the theory of the American Dream. Numerous stylistic devices help in making the speech more convincing and the choice of words supports the intended meaning of it.