Glory, unity, progress: Kennedy's address creates an atmosphere infused with these virtues and many more. But how does he unite all these elements and create such a powerful and forceful atmosphere? By utilizing ingenious rhetoric, Kennedy presents a speech that is concise, inspiring, and memorable. Even the most cursory glance through the speech provides a deluge of schemes and tropes: it is simply teeming with artful rhetoric. As it progresses, the address grows in meaning and scope, engulfing the audience of millions of people with great fervor and hope. This is not a simple byproduct of Kennedy's stature, but rather a result of the appealing qualities of the rhetoric. The unwavering and steady tone of the speech, also created by striking syntax, highlights certain intrinsic qualities a leader must possess. Once combined the elements coalesce into a gushing river of ideals and possibilities: an embodiment of a true presidential speech.
As any notable speech, Kennedy's address contains ample tropes. Throughout the piece, the consistent use of imagery, metaphors, and even rich adjectives and verbs serves to create a dynamic sensation. Kennedy describes the American people as "Tempered by war, disciplined by hard and bitter peace" able to "Bear any burden, meet any hardship, and oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty." Using such compelling descriptions, Kennedy reassures the people of their strength and creates a profound emotional connection with the audience. At other times, the clever diction serves to evoke different emotions: "those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery." Such imagery immediately follows the description of freedom and prosperity, and creates an extremely sharp distinction, greatly increasing the compassion towards less fortunate inhabitants of the planet.
