John F Kennedys Inaugural Address - Assignment Example

John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address aimed to unify its addressees through its rhetorical construct of the portrait of the people. The ideal of freedom is one that re-echoes in the entire speech. It suggests also a total commitment to defending this freedom and democracy wherever it may be threatened. However, the success or failure of this struggle rests ultimately on the people. Thus, he challenged the people to determine their own future. There is also an invitation to collaboration in the search for peace. Perhaps most significant is the understanding and respect for the limitations of executive power expressed in his words “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

            The legacy of Kennedy’s speech is ubiquitous. The values therein expressed have served as a springboard for change. Unity is fundamental in motivating the audience. The common good is more rightly placed today such that freedom and democracy have, since 1961, been steadily achieved. Perhaps most important of all is the fact that the future of the American populace lies in their own hands so that people come to realize the part they are to play in leadership. Conclusively, the inaugural speech was a great success both in the values it espoused and in the effectiveness of those values. Thus, values have a part to play in public speaking.