When writing, one must carefully choose words in regard to a certain word’s connotation or denotation. The writer must especially consider his/her audience and subject in choosing the right word or phrase. Perhaps the most extreme example of the cruciality of finding the right words is in a president’s speech, for a lot of weight is pinned on any one word.
John F. Kennedy wrote a very famous speech on January 20, 1961, in which I couldn’t help but notice his emphasis on abstract nouns with deep connotations. For instance, Kennedy refers to a “peaceful revolution of hope.” What, exactly, this means is probably unbeknownst to most people, but it does sound rather nice. JFK uses other abstract nouns such as freedom, loyalty, liberty, misery, and peace. These words do not have any referential pertinence, but they evoke strong connotations from listeners, mostly filling them with a sense of pride and patriotism. Kennedy fully understands who his audience is and thus completely comprehends his use of the directive mode.
However, Kennedy doesn’t rely on the directive mode for his entire speech, he also uses some strong facts about the time and occasion. For example, in paragraph thirteen, Kennedy makes specific references by the universal fear of nuclear warfare. Kennedy uses a euphemism when instead of saying “both are scared about getting blown to pieces,” he says “both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom.” Although Kennedy is forced to talk about the happenings of the world, he still doesn’t come out with text book, referential material.
Switching over to the interpersonal mode, Kennedy knows exactly who his audience is. Throughout the entire speech, Kennedy uses the personal pronouns “we” and “our.” He is trying to create a sense of mass unity and purpose. Also, he realizes that the majority of American people were religious and thus uses phrases such as “asking His blessing and His help.” Lastly, in paragraph twenty-three, Kennedy makes nice use of the rhetorical question tactic, asking “Will you join in that historic effort?”
After reading both Kennedy’s speech and Bush’s speech, I realize that they have a lot in common. Both Kennedy and Bush use a plethora of abstract nouns, giving the audience that “fuzzy feeling”, while not really knowing what they’re talking about. Both Kennedy and Bush take full advantage of the pronoun “we” and appeal to their audiences religious zeal. Both Kennedy and Bush are very confident and patriotic in their causes, obviously, because they are or were President of the United States. All in all, I feel as if someone must have taught president Kennedy and president Bush about the rhetorical triangle, for they used all aspects of it—from the referential mode to the interpersonal mode.
