Reference Books 1.The New Book of Knowledge2.Encyclopedia Britannica3.Encyclopedia Americana4.Any History of the U.S covering the 1960’s5.Any biographical sketch of John F. Kennedy附页附页Question 3A piece of News 附页附页1. John F. Kennedy (1917--1963), 35th President of the United StatesA. His family backgroundJohn Kennedy, whose ancestors came from Ireland, was the first Roman Catholic to become president of the United States. At 43 he was also the youngest man ever elected to the highest office of his country, although he was not the youngest to serve in it. Theodore Roosevelt was not quite 43 when the assassination of President McKinley elevated him to the Presidency.John Fitzgerald Francis Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. Brookline was the suburb of Boston where his grandfather had been elected to many public offices. Joseph P. Kennedy, father of the future president, was at 25 the youngest bank president in the country. He was to build one of the great private fortunes of his time. He and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy raised a family of nine children. John was the second born.When the first Kennedy child, Joseph, Jr., was born, father Joe was reported to have said, “He’ll be the first Kennedy to become president of the United States.” But he was killed while piloting a bomber in World War II, and the leadership of the rising Kennedy generation passed to John.Thus young John Kennedy, often called Jack, inherited a background of politics, wealth and determination. The family circle was close and warm. The boys learned competition first in sports. They, played hard to win, a family trait in sports and politics all their lives. Young Kennedy attended private schools in Brookline and New York City; and then in 1931, he entered Choate School, in Wallingford, Connecticut to prepare for college, Young Kennedy, after a short spell at the London School of Economics and Princeton, entered Harvard. In 1940 he graduated from Harvard cum lauds.B. His political career and election as presidentIn 1945 the Hearst newspapers hired Kennedy to cover the United Nations preliminary conference in San Francisco. He covered the British elections that year, then decided he had had enough of journalism. He did not know whether he would like politics, but decided to try it. In 1946 he ran for Congress as a Democrat, in a Boston district. Though he did not live there, Kennedy, by hard campaigning, defeated a large field of rivals. He was re-elected twice. Then he tried for election to the United States Senate against Republican Henry Cabot Lodge, who was supposed to be unbeatable in Massachusetts. It was a big Republican year in 1952, in Massachusetts and elsewhere, but Jack Kennedy beat Lodge by 70,000 votes.On September 12, 1953, Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier were married at Newport, Rhode Island. They had three children-Caroline; John, Jr., whom his father called John-John; and Patrick Bouvier, who lived but a few days.Kennedy missed being nominated for vice-president by a few votes in 1956. But he gained an introduction to millions of Americans who watched the Chicago Democratic Convention on television. When he decided to run for president in 1960, his name was widely known. Many thought that his religion and his youthful appearance would handicap him. Kennedy faced the religion issue frankly. He declared his firm belief in the separation of church and state. His wealth enabled him to assemble a staff and to get around the country in a private plane.Kennedy’s four television debates with Republican candidate, Richard M. Nixon, were a highlight of the 1960 campaign. The debates probably were important in Kennedy’ s close victory--303electoral votes to 219 for Nixon. The popular vote was breathtakingly close; Kennedy received only 18,574 more votes than Nixon--a fraction of 1 percent of the total vote.(excerpts from the New Book of Knowledge)C. AssassinationIn November 1963, President Kennedy journeyed to Texas for a speech-making tour. In Dallas on November 22, he and his wife were cheered enthusiastically as their open car passed through the streets. Suddenly, at 12:30 in the afternoon, an assassin fired several shots, striking the president twice, in the base of the neck and the head, and seriously wounding John Connally the governor of Texas, who was riding with the Kennedys. The president was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about a half hour later. Within two hours, Vice president Johnson took the oath as president.On November 24, amid national and worldwide mourning, the President’s body lay in state on the rotunda of the U. S. Capitol. The next day, leaders of 92 nations attended the state funeral, and a million persons lined the route as a horsedrawn caisson bore the body to St. Matthew’s Cathedral for a requiem mass. While millions of Americans watched the ceremonies on television, the president was buried on an open slope in Arlington National Cemetery. There an eternal flame(常明火), lighted by his wife marks the grave.On the day of the assassination, the police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald, a 24-year-old ex-marine, for the president’s murder. Oswald, who had lived for a time in the Soviet Union, killed Dallas policeman J.D. Tippit while resisting arrest. Two days later, in the basement of the Dallas police station, Oswald himself was fatally shot by Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner.On November 29, President Johnson appointed a seven-member commission, headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren, to conduct a thorough investigation of the assassination and report to the nation. The commission’s report made public on Sept. 27, 1964, herd that Oswald fired the shots that killed the president. Further, to allay suspicions that the murder was a conspiratorial plot, it stated that the committee “found no evidence” that either Oswald or Ruby “was part of any conspiracy, domestic or foreign, to assassinate President Kennedy.”(from Encyclopedia Americana )2. InaugurationA. Inauguration Day:On April 30, 1789, George Washington stepped onto a balcony of Federal Hail in New York City, placed his hand on a Bible and swore to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. He then read an earnest speech, calling for “united and effective government”. Thus began a unique American institution--Inauguration Day--those dramatic hours when a new president faces the people for the first time.From 1793 until 1933 the induction of the new president was scheduled for noon on March 4, every fourth year. Under the 20th Amendment to the U. S Constitution it has taken place on January 20 since 1937. (Zachary Taylor was sworn in on March 5, 1849, to avoid taking the oath on Sunday.)The presidential oath, traditionally administered by the chief justice, is prescribed in Article II, section 1, of the Constitution. The incoming vice-president takes a similar oath. The ceremonies attending the swearing-in are extra-constitutional. Presidents who succeeded to the office on the death of the incumbent have been sworn in speedily and without ceremony.B. Inaugural Addresses: Memorable words have been uttered in inaugural addresses. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson called on a divided nation to uphold the basic principle of democracy, “absolute acquiescence in the will of the majority.” Abraham Lincoln, in 1861, warned the Southern states not to secede, appealing to “the mystic cords of memory, stretching forth from every battlefield and patriot grave.” In 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt told Depression-racked Americans that” the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” in 1961, John F. Kennedy said, “My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.”James Monroe, speaking from the steps of the Capitol, delivered the first outdoor inaugural address in 1871. Since then only the inauguration of William Howard Taft during a blizzard in 1909 has been held indoors.Not all inaugural speeches have been a success. Martin Van Buren was overshadowed by the outgoing president Andrew Jackson, and the crowd barely listened to him. Franklin Pierce, in 1853, tried in vain to make himself heard above a howling snow-storm. Rutherford B. Hayes, winner of the disputed election of 1876, had to endure boos, catcalls, and assassination threats.Some presidents contributed personal touches to the ceremony. Washington added to his oath “so help me God,” and kissed the Bible. In 1905, Theodore Roosevelt wore a ring containing a lock of hair cut form Lincoln’s head after he was shot. In 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt rode bareheaded down Pennsylvania Avenue in an open car, sharing the driving rain with the spectators.C. The Inaugural Parade and Ball: The inaugural parade had grown from several hundred marchers to the record 40, 000 persons who walked past Woodrow Wilson in 1931. In 1965, Lyndon B.Johnson limited marchers to 15,000. Mrs. James Madison began thetradition of an inaugural ball in 1809. In 1809 some 6,000 peoplebought tickets to Ulysses S. Grant’s inaugural ball, and a near riotensued when the ball could not accommodate them. The ball hasgrown to such proportions that it is divided among four o fiveballrooms in Washington.(from Encyclopedia Americana)附页附页3Text Analysis (Brief))Introduction tothe Passage1.Type of literature: political speech2.Object of a political speech:--to explain--to convince--to persuade3.Well organized and highly rhetorical4.Biblical style/language5.Often-quoted passagesEffective Writing Skills 1.Employing suitable rhetorical devices and words to create thedesired emotional impact2.clear order and appropriate tone to the different groups heis addressing3.Employing Biblical style deliberatelyRhetorical Devices 1.metaphor2.antithesis1.parallelism2.repetitionSpecial Difficulties 1. Biblical language/quotations/styleing the following methods for force, vividness and emotionalappeal:--Parallel and balanced structure--Repetition of important words--Antithesis3.Paraphrasing some sentences4.Identifying figures of speech 附页3The object of a political speech is to explain, convince and persuade the people that what he is saying and planning to do best represents their interests so they should support him. As president of the United States, Kennedy has to address a world- wide audience. He has to appeal not only to the American people but also to the different groups of nations in the international community.In order to understand and evaluate his speech better, we should also bear in mind that he became president during the cold war period when the world was divided into two hostile camps. The message of the address is clear. The United States, the self-appointed leader of the “free democracies”, is prepared to pay any price to defend human rights and the liberty and independence of free nations, so these nations should support and accept the leadership of the United States. There is veiled threat, warning and advice to the enemy camp. She is prepared to “oppose any foe” and “dare not tempt them with weakness”, so they should negotiate and cooperate.This speech is well organized and highly rhetorical. It is mostly persuasionwith very little explanation. As the address is generally short it has to rely chiefly on a successful appeal to emotions for it does not have time enough to cite facts and reasons which could convince. To do this successfully, the speaker must first understand the psychology of the audience to whom he is directing his words and then employ suitable rhetorical devices and words to create the desired emotional impact. The first five paragraphs of this speech is a general statement of basic policy goals. In paragraphs 6 to 9 he addresses different groups of allied nations or would-be allies. In 11--19 he speaks to his enemy. Finally he appeals to his countrymen for support and sacrifice. The order is clear and the tone appropriate to the different groups he is addressing.Besides figures of speech and the appropriate use of words, parallel and balanced structures, repetition of important words and phrases, and antithesis are employed for force, vividness and emotional appeal. Paras 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11 begin with the same type of phrases: “To those old allies...”, “To those new States...”, “To those peoples”, “To our sister republics...”, “To that world assembly...”and “to those nations... “. Paras15, 16, 17, 18 begin with the same type of phrases: “Let both sides...”. Besides these, there are many other examples of parallel structures. As for repetition of important words we have: all forces” and “belief” (para. 2); “committed” (para. 3);”good” and “free” (para. 9), etc. Finally antithesis is also often used for force and vividness, e.g. “United, there is little ...Divided, there is little...(para.. 6);” If a free society cannot who are rich.” (para.. 8); and “Let both sides explore... divide us.” (para.. 15).Another point that one notices is Kennedy’s deliberate use of a pseudo-Roman style or Biblical language in some places. Perhaps, he thinks this kind of language adds solemnity to some of his weightier sayings. Here are some examples that illustrate this point:1) And yet the same revolutionary belief for which our forbears fought is still at issue around the globe, the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God. (para. 2)2) Let the word go forth from this time and place... (para. 3)3) to strengthen its shield of the new, and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run. (para. 10)4) And so, my fellow Americans ask not what... your country. (para. 25)Persuasion based on emotional appeal can be successful only on special occasions for it does not put forward sufficient facts and reasons to convince. It can be successful when the audience is excited and does not have much time to think or when the audience is already susceptible to the message of the speaker. Political demagogy, however, relies on emotional appeal for its success.。
