“Ask not what your country can do for you 7 ask what you can do for your country,” is a famous quote from John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech that would motivate the United States, affect future generations and would be expressed throughout the ideas of Barack Obama. Even though solutions may not be immediate, John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama are committed to facing problems in order to preserve the beliefs and aspects of the United States created by their forebears. Both presidents incorporate religion and repetition in their inaugural addresses in order to emphasize their plans to better the United States and help people of other cultures and nations. Kennedy and Obama accept that the beliefs of the founding fathers of the United States and their reliance on God have lasted through time and should be preserved. Obama believes the United States has carried on because, ”we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.”
Obama continues to say that, “with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth the great gift of freedom. Kennedy relates the rights of man to, “the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought,” which comes from, “the hand of God.” Throughout many years, this idea has been continued. Both presidents address the problems facing the country and that they will not be ignored, Obama states that, “we are in the midst of crisis.” Then he uses examples such as, “Our nation is at warner economy is badly weakened…0ur health care is too costly 0ur schools fail too many. He explains how serious the problems are and that they will be met. Kennedy discusses the differences of freedom in the United States and the lack of freedom and rights of men in other countries.
He thinks America should be “unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights in which this nation has always committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world” Anaphora is used by Kennedy and Obama to emphasize the purpose of change and the positive results that will come from it. Obama believes, “we have duties to ourselves” and we must give our all to, “a difficult task.” Then, he uses anaphora by saying, “this is the price and promise of citizenship, this is the source of our confidence. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed,” Kennedy uses a similar approach to the path to solution by saying, “Let both sides explore what problems unite is instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals.” The use of repeating specific words focuses the audience on important points both presidents were trying to make. Kennedy and Obama both focus on preserving the United States. They address the ideas of the forebears of the country, the importance of issues, and the way in which solutions with be achieved. The presidents are both committed to facing difficult situations even though solutions may not be immediate. Kennedy and Obama want to inspire Americans to have hope in God and realize what is truly important in the country.
