Metaphors and JFK

Metaphors are a common tool used to compare items, but to also drive a point home and persuade. John F. Kennedy, better known as JFK, was the 35^th President of the United States from 1961 until the fall of 1963. Kennedy was one of the most influential speakers of his time; he roused crowds and gave hope to millions. One of his most notable speeches was his Inaugural Speech in 1961 and was also the first inaugural speech televised in color.  Kennedy’s speech, delivered in under 15 minutes, is laced with metaphors that call for a change in society and how the American people need to join together to be able to move forward.  Through his use of metaphors, Kennedy is able to encourage and persuade his audience to believe that things can and will change while he is president. Kennedy specifically uses metaphors that involve ethos and pathos to help better persuade his audience to believe in the change.

            One of the first metaphors Kennedy uses is “the torch has been passed to a new generation”. In this metaphor, the torch is the tenor and generation acts as the vehicle. This metaphor is being used to convey the idea that the power is being passed on to Kennedy and more or less to the American people. This metaphor is also a very confident statement to make. Kennedy is using this metaphor to show that he is worthy and competent enough to deserve to have the torch passed to him and that with the torch being passed comes change and a new era and establishes a bit of his credibility, or ethos. This metaphor acts as a representation of an ending but also a new beginning. This metaphor is also a call to action. Now that this torch of power has been passed down to a new and younger generation, it’s up to this new generation to rise up and make the changes that Kennedy references, which helps persuade the audience by making them believe they hold power and have a say in the change that occurs.

            The next metaphor that Kennedy states in his speech is “those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside”. Kennedy uses this metaphor to paint a picture to his audience of how he feels about dictatorship. He also uses this metaphor as a warning about people who will stop at nothing to get the power and fame they want, but ultimately warns that selfishness never ends well and they will get eaten by this metaphorical tiger. Kennedy is very basically saying that if governments or people of high ranking in society go along with bad people who do horrible things just to get power that there is a sure punishment waiting for them. There is nothing to prosper from seeking evil by hurting others or sneaking around to accomplish selfish goals. This is done with reference to the tiger. The metaphor with its striking imagery and deadly end, applies a bit of pathos to his speech. He uses the emotion of fear with this metaphor to help persuade his audience, anyone watching the speech on the television around the world

            Next, Kennedy makes the metaphor of “casting off the chains of poverty”. In this metaphor poverty acts as the tenor and chains serves as the vehicle for the metaphor. This strong metaphor creates pathos within the speech, pulling out the sympathetic emotions within his audience. The metaphor also causes emotions like hope for a better and freer tomorrow, but also sorrow for any individual who has had to be tied down with the chains of poverty. Because of the emotions that this metaphor causes, it helps persuade Kennedy’s audience to believe in what he’s saying and be successfully persuaded into believing in the change Kennedy calls for throughout his speech. This metaphor creates a striking image in the mind as well, that poverty and the implications that come along with it are binding, but can be broken; the  image of being so weighed down with the chains of poverty and then finally, finally, being able to break them and be free. This metaphor serves to better aid Kennedy’s need for change during his presidential period and convince his audience that the change is possible and can be liberating, such breaking out of chains.

            The last metaphor that appears in Kennedy’s famous speech is “beachhead of cooperation”. The whole sentence, which helps shed more light on what Kennedy is stating with this metaphor is, “And, if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor not a new balance of power but a new world of law, where the strong are just, and the weak secured, and the peace preserved.” This is actually a metaphor within a metaphor. Suspicion is described as a jungle, that it is an overgrown and place to easily get lost in. The jungle of suspicion is a metaphor for the struggle that is occurring in the government to make these changes. That the government has gotten set in its past ways and now suspicion has arisen because Kennedy wants to change the system to be able to further progress for the nation as a whole. The “beachhead of cooperation” is a metaphor for the other nations. That as nations of the world, they must all get along and cooperate with each other despite the differences that separate them in order to be able to make this change successful. This metaphor brings out the emotion of unity and further persuades to his audience to make the change.

In conclusion, Kennedy successfully uses metaphors to paint pictures for his audience that it is time for a change in the country. He establishes his creditability and is able to pull emotions such as fear, hope, and sympathy from the members of his audience. Kennedy’s overall use of metaphors is variable and successfully used to persuade his audience to believe in him, his ideas, and change for the future. 

Response 1:Delivery and Arrangement

Delivery

                 Delivery is one of the five canons of rhetoric. While it's one of the last canons, it's one of the most important and can help establish ethos and pathos. Delivery can be simply defined as a way a speech is delivered. In terms of rhetoric, the delivery of speech can make or break it; it could successfully persuade an audience or deter them completely. Delivery has to do with how a speech is said, not what is said. Delivery mainly deals with how the voice is handled during the speech, the overall tone of the voice. Besides vocal, delivery also deals with body language such as gestures and eye contact with the audience. Digital media has millions upon millions of this canon at work, both successfully and unsuccessfully. For example, everyone has seen the commercials of the beaten up and starving animals with the sad music playing in the background while some actress asks viewers to donate money to help these poor animals. This is an example of a successful delivery of a speech. First, the actress pulls you in by establishing her pathos with a slide show of pictures of hurt kittens and puppies. Then she keeps her voice calm as she tells viewers facts and statistics of animal abuse, which also establishes her ethos. The actress only lets her voice crack and then changes her tone to a desperate pleading when she's asking for viewers to donate money, establishing more pathos. She chooses the right tone and handles her voice correctly for the subject of her speech. Next, when the actress appears on screen, usually with an animal, she is making direct eye contact with the audience and only looks away to look at the animal. Lastly, her body language is open and relaxed as she talks to the audience. All of these factors play into delivery. Because she accurately used all these key factors, the delivery of her speech is successful and audience members are persuaded. Voldemort's speech in the last few scenes of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a great example of a speech that is poorly delivered. Voldemort's voice is handled in a whisper and in a threatening tone, a tone that is surely to put off his audience. He addresses his audience in commands and orders and talks at them rather than to them. He establishes no real form of ethos in his speech and only establishes pathos when he is talking directly to Harry, by guilting him into believing that everyone who had died that night was his fault. Voldemort is not seen while he is giving this speech, so there is a lack of gestures and eye contact to back up his speech. Voldemort is only successful in persuading Harry to meet him in the forest, but it wasn't the speech that convinced Harry, it was his own guilt. Voldemort's speech greatly lacks the key qualities to make the delivery of his speech a successful one. The delivery of speeches can be found in all types of digital media such as, Presidential inauguration speeches, other charity commercials, monologues, debates, etc. 

 Arrangement

Arrangement is also one of the five canons of rhetoric and is a vital role in how successful the delivery of a speech is. Arrangement, in simple terms means, the order of a speech or text. According to Classic rhetoricians speech can be divided into six parts: introduction, statement of facts, division, proof, refutation, and conclusion (McKay).  In an introduction, the speaker ideally should state the speech's topic and then establish ethos (McKay). The introduction of a speech is incredibly important; the introduction is what will get the audience interested in what else the speaker has to say. Statement of facts is exactly what it sounds like; it's the part of your speech where you should share facts or history on your topic. Division is the summarizing the argument or points of your speech that your about to state (McKay). Proof is where the speaker should establish logos for the audience. Refutation is when the speaker points out faults of their speech and or argument (McKay). And finally, the conclusion should be where the speaker sums up the argument, possibly re-state a few facts, and draw the speech to a strong close. All six of these factors make up the perfect arrangement of a speech and in return, a solid delivery. Sticking with the theme of Harry Potter, Dumbledore makes a speech in the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Dumbledore introduces few people and has some announcements and then his speech truly starts with a capturing introduction by telling the students that they have the right to know why they were searched upon arrival. His introduction captures his audience’s attention completely. Dumbledore's statement of facts is his small story of the history of Tom Riddle. This keeps his audiences attention. Dumbledore's speech does lack in the division area in the arrangement of his speech. He doesn't summarize the points he's about to make, he just states them. Dumbledore's proof can be found when he argues that Tom Riddle was just like every student sitting before him. Dumbledore also doesn't technically have a refutation part to his speech. He says “...dark forces attempt to penetrate these walls, but in the end their greatest weapon is you...” this could be seen as refutation because he inadvertently points out that he has failed the students, but it's not a strong enough case to be considered refutation. Lastly, Dumbledore doesn't have an ideal conclusion either. He wraps up his speech by saying “just something to think about. Off to bed!” while this would make the speech memorable to his audience, it does not fall into the definition of conclusion in terms of arrangement. Dumbledore's speech, while memorable, is not a good example of arrangement in practice. A better example of all six parts of arrangement in practice is John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address in 1961. Kennedy opens with a strong introduction where he claims his ethos by referencing the oath he took. Kennedy's statement of facts is his brief and slightly vague references to heirs of America. Kennedy begins his division by stating a pledge to allies, surrounding states, and other nations of promises and hopes for the future. Proof in Kennedy's speech is intertwined with his division. Refutation can be found in this excerpt from his speech “All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days; nor in the life of this Administration; nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.” And Kennedy concludes his speech not in the typical way of Classical rhetoricians, but he does end it in a motivating and reflective way. Arrangement and its six key factors can be found in just about any political speech, and many, many movies.

Sources: 

http://www.artofmanliness.com/inaugrual-address-of-john-f-kennedy/ (Kennedy excerpt)

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/02/26/classical-rhetoric-101-the-five-canons-of-rhetoric-arrangement/  (McKay/Arrangement resource)

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