1、Inaugural Address,John F. Kennedy,Unit 4,Teaching Objectives,To know the features of a political speech To appreciate the language features of Kennedys address To acquaint the students with some famous English speeches To take this speech as a good example to learn some techniques in writing a speec
2、h,Teaching Focus,The difference between a speech and an argument Political background Biblical and ancient Roman style writings and allusions A round-about way in vague terms to convey political views which are not openly stated,Teaching Methods,Teacher-oriented teaching method Student-oriented teac
3、hing method The elicited method,Teaching Procedure,. Introductory Remarks . Background Information . Learning Focus . Key words and Expressions . Explanation of the Text,. Division of the Text . The Writing Style . Rhetorical Devices . Exercises,Introductory Remarks,. Introductory Remarks,J. F. Kenn
4、edy addresses a worldwide audience in his inaugural speech.He makes a general statement of basic policy goals.,The United States is prepared to pay any price, bear any burden, and meet any hardship to defend human rights, liberty and independence of free nations.He addresses different groups of alli
5、ed nations or would-be allies, as well as the United Nations.,He turns to his enemy, warning that the U.S. is prepared to oppose any foe at all costs, so theyd better negotiate and cooperate with U.SHe appeals to his countrymen and citizens of the world for support and sacrifice in order to defend h
6、uman rights and freedom.,President Kennedys finest masterpiece and one of the best speeches.It is a persuasive speech with the clear purpose: to explain, convince and persuade the people that what he is saying and what he is planning to do best represent their interests so they should support him.,D
7、etailed Study of the Text,. Background Information,1. Brief Introduction to John KennedyOn November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed by an assassins bullets as his motorcade wound through Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was the youngest m
8、an elected President; he was the youngest to die.,2Inauguration the peaceful transfer of power from one individual to another going back to President George Washington the induction of the new president was scheduled on March 4, every fourth year since 1793,it has taken place on January 20 since 193
9、7 the inaugural ball in 1809 four or five ballrooms in Washington,3. Solemn Oath“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”,. Learning Focus
10、,To understand the political background To appreciate the biblical and ancient Roman style writings and allusions To understand a round-about way in vague terms to convey political views which are not openly stated,. Key words and Expressions,1. inaugural: a. of an inauguration inauguration (n.), in
11、augurate (v.) the professors inaugural lecture2. symbolize: v. to be a symbol of; stand for -In Europe, the color white symbolizes purity.,3. signify: v. to be a sign or indication of; mean-Recent changes in climate may signify that global warming is starting to have an effect.4. almighty: a. having
12、 unlimited power; all-powerful-Almighty God / Father,5. prescribe: v. to set down as a rule or direction; order-what punishment does the law prescribe for corruption?6. abolish: v. to do away with completely; put an end to;-The legislature passed a law to abolish the surtax.,7. temper: v. to strengt
13、hen through experience or hardship; toughen-Those soldiers had been tempered by combat.8. discipline: v. to subject to discipline; train; control-Students must learn to discipline themselves.,9. oppose: v. to resist; withstand; -Many members of the council opposed the building of the luxury houses i
14、n the center of the city.10. assure:v. to make (difficult thing) certain; guarantee-I can assure you of the reliability of the news.,11. venture: n. a business project or activity, especially one that involves taking risks-a joint venture12. iron: a. cruel, merciless-iron discipline,13. renew: v. to
15、 go over again; say again; repeat-I renewed my spirits in the country.14. forum: n. assembly for the discussion of public matters or current questions-The letter page of this newspaper is a forum forpublic argument.,15. shield: n. any person or thing that guards, protect or defends 16. unleash: v. t
16、o release or let go from or as from a leashleash: n. (lead esp. AmE) -All dogs must be kept on a leash in public places.leash: v. to control an animal, esp. a dog, with lead or leash,17. stay: v. restrain-The government tries to stay the progress of the disease.18. invoke: v. to ask solemnly for; be
17、g for; implore-I invoked their forgiveness.,19. eradicate: v. to get rid of; wipe out; destroy-Their goal was to eradicate the poverty in the countryside.20. testimony: n. form of evidence, indication; proof-These results are a testimony to your hard work.,21. shrink: v. to avoid or wish to avoid ta
18、king action; be reluctant; withdraw-A shy man shrinks from meeting strangers.22. at issue: in dispute; to be decided; in disagreement-What is at issue is the extent to which exam results reflect a students ability.,23. at odds: in disagreement; quarrelling; antagonistic-He was at odds with his colle
19、agues.24. cast off: to discard; abandon-The town is still trying to cast off its dull image.,. Explanation of the Text,Para.1: Kennedy emphasizes the importance of his election as president. It is not simply a victory of the Democratic Party over the Republican Party. It celebrates the freedom of pe
20、ople to elect freely their own head of the state. It symbolizes the end of one presidential term and the beginning of new one. The presidency is continued, but the president has changed.,Para.2: Not only the administration has been changed, but the world has changed a lot.Para.3: Kennedy exhorts his
21、 countrymen and forcefully declares his determination to “pay any price” to defend human right and liberty at home and around the world.,Para.4: Like the preceding one, Kennedy addresses to friend and foe at the same time. It promise to support any friend and oppose any foe.Para.5: transition from t
22、he general countries to specific ones.,Para.6: It refers to those old allies with the same cultural and spiritual origins, esp. English speaking countries, such as Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand etc.,Paras.7&8: Kennedy addresses the governments and people of newly independent countries, the
23、 third world developing countries. He promise to give them economic aid but warn them not to go over the Communist.,Para.9: Kennedy addresses all the countries lying to South of the U.S. in central and south America. The U.S has always tried to dominate these countries and has quite often interfered
24、 in their internal affair.,Para.10: Kennedy pledges his support to United Nations. Para.11-13: Kennedy addresses his enemy. He points out the destructive power of war and put forward proposal for arms control negotiation, cooperation in fields of science and space exploration.,Para.14-20: Kennedy pu
25、ts forward his different proposals by employing the parallel structures throughout these paragraphs.,Para.21-27: Kennedy appeals to his fellow Americans to support him and be ready to do everything they can, even to sacrifice their lives, if necessary, for their country.,Main Points,The Appropriate
26、Use of Words a. “To our sister republics” (para.9) b. “ make themselves adversary” (para. 11),1. Three ways to sway people1) through evidence and reasoning;2) through his own credibility;3) through appeals to the peoples basic social,biological, and psychological needs, wants,and desires,2. The deli
27、berate use of a pseudo-Romanstyle and Biblical languagea. “ and yet the same revolutionary from the handof God.” (para.2)b. “Let the world go forth from this time andplace (para.3),c. “to strengthen its shield of the new, which its writ may run.” (para.10)d. “And so, my fellow Americans your country
28、.” (para.25),. Division of the Text,Part 1 Paras.1-5 : a general statement of basic policy goals.Part 2 Paras.6-9 : Kennedy addresses different groups of allied nations or would-be allies.,Part 3 Paras.11-19: Kennedy speaks to his enemy.Part 4 Paras. 21-27: Kennedy appeals to his countrymen for supp
29、ort and sacrifice.,Summary of the Text,. The Writing Style,Well organized and highly rhetorical Various figures of speech The appropriate use of words, parallel and balanced structures,Repetition of important words and phrases, and antithesis Deliberate use of a pseudo-Roman style or Biblical langua
30、ge in some places,Summary of the Text,-one of the best inaugural addresses -its object: to explain, convince and persuade people that what he is saying and planning to do best represents their interests so they should support him,-addressing a worldwide audience and appealing not only to the America
31、n people but also to the different groups of nations in the international community,-consisting of three parts: introduction, body and conclusion -extremely well organized, highly rhetorical and full of logical reasoning and emotional appeal,-various figures of speech -the appropriate use of words,
32、-some structural rhetorical devices:parallel and balanced structures, repetition ofimportant words and phrases -antithesis -for the sake of force, vividness and emotional appeal,Features of the Speech,-Mostly persuasion with very little explanation -To rely chiefly on a successful appeal to emotions
33、 -No time to cite facts and reasons which could convince -First to understand the psychology of the audience to whom he is directing his words,-To employ suitable rhetorical devices and words to create the desired emotional impact -Successful when the audience is excited and does not have much time
34、to think or when the audience is ready susceptible to the message of the speaker -Political demagogy relies on emotional appeal for its success,. Rhetorical Devices,alliteration: friend and foe (para.3) pay any price, bear any burden,metaphor: torch-inspiration and ideals riding the back of tiger-se
35、eking the aid of the socialist countries the master of its own house-America that fire can truly light the world-the energy, faith, devotion of American people,parallel: verb phrase-pay any price, meet any hardship, support any friend, and oppose any foe. (para.4) Paras.6, 7, 8, 10, 11 begin with th
36、e same type of phrases: To those old allies Paras.15, 16,17, 18 begin with the same type of phrases: Let both sides,repetition: “all forces” and “belief” (para2) “committed” (para.3) “good” and “free” (para9) “beyond doubt” (para12),antithesis:A figure of speech which assumes a balanced structure an
37、d emphasizes a contrast in meaning by placing antonyms in parallel position, generally to produce a sound rhythm, and expresses great wisdom through brevity.,antithesis: “United, there is little, Divided, there is little” (para.6) “If a free society cannotwho are rich” (para.8) “Let both sides explo
38、redivide us.” (para.15) “ask not what your country can do for youfor your country” (para.25) “ not as a call to battle,” (para. 22),synecdoche: “that stay the hand of mankinds final war.” (para.13)rhetorical question: “Can we forge against for all mankind?” (para.23),Exercises,. Exercises,Oral Prese
39、ntation Make a five-minute presentation in class based on your research. Suggested topics:1. The position of John F. Kennedy in American history2. The Cold War,Discriminate between these synonyms. 1. mortal, fatal, deadly, lethal 2. faithful, loyal, constant, staunch, resolute,1. mortal, fatal, dead
40、ly, lethal Fatal if used to describe anything that is capable of causing or that actually has caused death; it carries a strong suggestion of the inevitability of fate An illness which might not be serious for a young person, but which will almost certainly prove fatal to an old person.,Deadly is in
41、terchangeable with fatal in this sense. Leukemia is a deadly diseaseDeadly, however, in a way that fatal cannot, can refer to a person who desires or seeks to cause the death of another person.The murdered man had many deadly enemies.,Mortal, like deadly, can be applied both to things or people that
42、 cause, are capable of causing, or seek to cause someones death.(Because of an ancient family feud, the two cousins had been mortal enemies from birth).,In its reference to things, mortal differs from fatal and deadly only in the fact that it is usually found in contexts which detail a death that ha
43、s already occurred.He was struck down by a mortal blow upon the head.,Lethal refers to something which, because of some intrinsic quality in its make-up, is certain to cause death, and may indeed exist for the express purposes of causing death. Cyanide is a lethal poison.,With the exception of letha
44、l, all these words can be used to describe something that causes great fear or discomfort, or that brings about disaster or ruin, but that dose not lead to physical death. a fatal mistake; a deadly insult; in mortal terror.,2. faithful, loyal, constant, staunch, resolute Faithful implies continued,
45、steadfast adherence to a person or thing to which one is bound by an oath, duty, obligation, etc. a faithful wife or husband,loyal implies undeviating allegiance to a person, cause, institution, etc. which one feels morally bound to support or defend a loyal friend constant suggests freedom from fic
46、kleness in affections or loyalties a constant lover,staunch (or stanch) implies such strong allegiance to ones principles or purpose as not to turned aside by any cause a staunch defender of the truth,resolute stresses unwavering determination, often in adhering to ones personal ends or aims She was
47、 resolute in her decision to stay.,READ, THINK AND COMMENT The following is part of Martin Luther Kings speech “I Have a Dream Address at March on Washington” delivered on August 28, 1963, in Washington, D.C. Read it and sum up and comment on his rhetorical devices.,Martin Luther King Jr.s speech “I
48、 have a Dream” is one of the greatest speeches in American history and one of the most famous around the world. The speaker uses a variety of rhetorical devices to give force and rhythm to his speech. The following are some of them.,Parallel sentence structures: “I have a dream today. I have a dream
49、 that”; “Let freedom ring”; “With this faith” Repetition of key words: “together” Metaphors: “whose governors lips are presently dripping with the words”; “every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight”; “the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood”; etc.,
