Although I wasn't alive during the death of President Kennedy I have heard countless stories from family members, interviews, and videos showing the impact and aftermath that came from such a tragic event. The mourning that took place all around the nation was overwhelming and the fear that creeped in along the way as to how the United States was going to stand after losing their president was very much there. When Lyndon B. Johnson became the one to fill a new President role during such a hazardous time, this speech held heavy weight on the view American's were going to perceive of him.
I chose to analyze this speech in order to better grasp the way American's were truly feeling at this time. I also wanted to see how President Johnson worked his way through his words and emotional appeals to leave the nation inspired and moving forward. I used the Neo-Aristotelian method in order to break down this speech. By looking at Invention and diving deeper into the artistic proofs (logos, pathos, ethos) I was able to understand more of what his motive behind the speech was. Logos, which stands for logic, was used when President Johnson emphasized policies that the past President John F. Kennedy had desired for the country. He brought up these policies in order to show that the country was going to continue to pursue after the goals that they had desired to achieve. Pathos, which stands for passion or emotion, can be seen throughout the speech when Johnson makes it a point to personally connect with each person as to expressing that there are no words sad enough to express the pain they each feel for this loss. He makes it a point to say that he lost someone who was special to him as well and he is also in a time of great mourning with the country. Last but not least, we must look at Ethos, which stands for character and credibility. This allows us to see that President Johnson brought up his credibility of serving in the House of Congress for a number of years and being in government that allows him to be able to lead the country well. He wants the country to see that they aren't getting someone who isn't aware of the problems that are happening in the United States but they are getting someone who is knowledgable and has a strong will to keep America improving.
I also want to emphasize President Johnson's style and delivery. His style throughout the speech was using words like "my fellow American's countrymen, we." He does so in order to appear equal with the nation rather someone who is above them. We can also see throughout his delivery is him wanting to appear equal. His speech is filled with a balance of pain and sorrow, respect, humbleness, and inspiration. He wanted to meet each American where they were at but he also wanted to lead them in a way that left them moving forward and inspired to keep going on.
Solid!
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