An Olive Branch in Troubled Times. In the midst of the Cold War newly elected president, John F Kennedy delivered his inaugural address on January 20, 1961. The conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union had caused much division in the United States, election resulting in his narrow victory Kennedy at the time was the youngest president and the first Roman-Catholic ever elected to the office. These two factors caused even more speculation on whether Kennedy was a fit president, especially at such a conflicted time. With this tension in mind, Kennedy sought to unite the divided country and reinvigorate patriotism in the new generation of Americans. He accomplished this task by using diction rhetorical tropes and modes of persuasion in his inaugural address when he took the office. Despite his young age Kennedy confidently takes the presidential office by using archaic and abstract diction in his inaugural address. Wanting to assure his country that he is a leader who his country can trust Kennedy implements words such as asunder forebears and anew to set a formal and old fashioned tone to his speech. These words carry a heavy and powerful aura about them and thus make them effective in persuasion. By using these outdated words Kennedy effectively conveys that his age does not undermine his authoritative abilities nor define his skills as a politician.
