1、Inaugural AddressJohn F.KennedyUnit 4 Teaching ObjectivesnTo know the features of a political speechnTo appreciate the language features of Kennedys addressnTo acquaint the students with some famous English speechesnTo take this speech as a good example to learn some techniques in writing a speechTe
2、aching FocusThe difference between a speech and an argument Political backgroundBiblical and ancient Roman style writings and allusionsnA round-about way in vague terms to convey political views which are not openly statedTeaching MethodsTeacher-oriented teaching methodStudent-oriented teaching meth
3、odThe elicited methodTeaching Procedure.Introductory Remarks.Background Information.Learning Focus.Key words and Expressions.Explanation of the Text.Division of the Text.The Writing Style.Rhetorical Devices.ExercisesIntroductory Remarks.Introductory RemarksnJ.F.Kennedy addresses a worldwide audience
4、 in his inaugural speech.nHe makes a general statement of basic policy goals.nThe 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.nHe addresses different groups of allied nations or would-be allies,as we
5、ll as the United Nations.nHe 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.S.nHe appeals to his countrymen and citizens of the world for support and sacrifice in order to defend human rights and freedom.nPresident Ke
6、nnedys finest masterpiece and one of the best speeches.nIt 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.Detailed Study of the Text.Background In
7、formation 1.Brief Introduction to John Kennedy On 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 man elected President;he was the youngest to di
8、e.2Inaugurationnthe peaceful transfer of power from one individual to another ngoing back to President George Washington the induction of the new president was scheduled on March 4,every fourth year since 1793nit has taken place on January 20 since 1937nthe inaugural ball in 1809nfour or five ballro
9、oms 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 FocusTo understand the political backgroundTo appreciate th
10、e biblical and ancient Roman style writings and allusionsnTo understand a round-about way in vague terms to convey political views which are not openly stated.Key words and Expressions1.inaugural:a.of an inaugurationninauguration(n.),inaugurate(v.)nthe professors inaugural lecture2.symbolize:v.to be
11、 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 unlimited power;all-powerful -Almighty God/Father5.prescribe:v.to set down as
12、 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 strengthen through experience or hardship;toughen -Those soldiers had been tempered by combat.8.dis
13、cipline: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 in the center of the city.10.assure:v.to make(difficult thing)certain;guarantee -I can assure you of th
14、e 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 discipline13.renew:v.to go over again;say again;repeat -I renewed my spirits in the country.14.forum:n.assembly for the discussion of public
15、 matters or current questions -The letter page of this newspaper is a forum for public argument.15.shield:n.any person or thing that guards,protect or defends16.unleash:v.to release or let go from or as from a leash leash:n.(lead esp.AmE)-All dogs must be kept on a leash in public places.leash:v.to
16、control an animal,esp.a dog,with lead or leash17.stay:v.restrain -The government tries to stay the progress of the disease.18.invoke:v.to ask solemnly for;beg 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 countr
17、yside.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 taking 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 ex
18、tent to which exam results reflect a students ability.23.at odds:in disagreement;quarrelling;antagonistic -He was at odds with his colleagues.24.cast off:to discard;abandon -The town is still trying to cast off its dull image.Explanation of the TextPara.1:Kennedy emphasizes the importance of his ele
19、ction as president.It is not simply a victory of the Democratic Party over the Republican Party.It celebrates the freedom of people 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 ha
20、s changed.Para.2:Not only the administration has been changed,but the world has changed a lot.Para.3:Kennedy exhorts his 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 addresse
21、s to friend and foe at the same time.It promise to support any friend and oppose any foe.Para.5:transition from the 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
22、 Zealand etc.Paras.7&8:Kennedy addresses the governments and people of newly independent countries,the 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
23、south America.The U.S has always tried to dominate these countries and has quite often interfered 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
24、 negotiation,cooperation in fields of science and space exploration.Para.14-20:Kennedy puts 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 t
25、o sacrifice their lives,if necessary,for their country.Main PointsThe Appropriate Use of Wordsa.“To our sister republics”(para.9)b.“make themselves adversary”(para.11)1.Three ways to sway people 1)through evidence and reasoning;2)through his own credibility;3)through appeals to the peoples basic soc
26、ial,biological,and psychological needs,wants,and desires2.The deliberate use of a pseudo-Roman style and Biblical language a.“and yet the same revolutionary from the hand of God.”(para.2)b.“Let the world go forth from this time and place (para.3)c.“to strengthen its shield of the new,which its writ
27、may run.”(para.10)d.“And so,my fellow Americans your country.”(para.25).Division of the TextnPart 1 nParas.1-5:a general statement of basic policy goals.nPart 2 nParas.6-9:Kennedy addresses different groups of allied nations or would-be allies.nPart 3nParas.11-19:Kennedy speaks to his enemy.nPart 4n
28、Paras.21-27:Kennedy appeals to his countrymen for support and sacrifice.Summary of the Text.The Writing StylenWell organized and highly rhetoricalnVarious figures of speech nThe appropriate use of words,parallel and balanced structuresnRepetition of important words and phrases,and antithesisnDeliber
29、ate use of a pseudo-Roman style or Biblical language in some placesSummary 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 au
30、dience and appealing not only to the American 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
31、speech-the appropriate use of words,-some structural rhetorical devices:parallel and balanced structures,repetition of important words and phrases-antithesis-for the sake of force,vividness and emotional appealFeatures of the Speech-Mostly persuasion with very little explanation-To rely chiefly on a
32、 successful appeal to emotions-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 an
33、d does not have much time 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 Devicesnalliteration:nfriend and foe(para.3)npay any price,bear any burdennmetaphor:ntorch-inspiration and idealsnriding
34、 the back of tiger-seeking the aid of the socialist countriesnthe master of its own house-Americanthat fire can truly light the world-the energy,faith,devotion of American peoplenparallel:nverb phrase-pay any price,meet any hardship,support any friend,and oppose any foe.(para.4)nParas.6,7,8,10,11 be
35、gin with the same type of phrases:To those old alliesnParas.15,16,17,18 begin with the same type of phrases:Let both sidesnrepetition:n“all forces”and“belief”(para2)n“committed”(para.3)n“good”and“free”(para9)n“beyond doubt”(para12)nantithesis:n A figure of speech which assumes a balanced structure a
36、nd emphasizes a contrast in meaning by placing antonyms in parallel position,generally to produce a sound rhythm,and expresses great wisdom through brevity.nantithesis:n“United,there is little,Divided,there is little.”(para.6)n“If a free society cannotwho are rich”(para.8)n“Let both sides explorediv
37、ide us.”(para.15)n“ask not what your country can do for youfor your country”(para.25)n“not as a call to battle,.”(para.22)nsynecdoche:n“that stay the hand of mankinds final war.”(para.13)nrhetorical question:n“Can we forge against for all mankind?”(para.23)Exercises.ExercisesnOral PresentationnMake
38、a five-minute presentation in class based on your research.nSuggested topics:n 1.The position of John F.Kennedy in American historyn 2.The Cold WarnDiscriminate between these synonyms.n1.mortal,fatal,deadly,lethaln2.faithful,loyal,constant,staunch,resoluten1.mortal,fatal,deadly,lethalnFatal if used
39、to describe anything that is capable of causing or that actually has caused death;it carries a strong suggestion of the inevitability of fate nAn illness which might not be serious for a young person,but which will almost certainly prove fatal to an old person.nDeadly is interchangeable with fatal i
40、n this sense.nLeukemia is a deadly diseasenDeadly,however,in a way that fatal cannot,can refer to a person who desires or seeks to cause the death of another person.n The murdered man had many deadly enemies.nMortal,like deadly,can be applied both to things or people that cause,are capable of causin
41、g,or seek to cause someones death.n(Because of an ancient family feud,the two cousins had been mortal enemies from birth).nIn 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 has already occurred.n He was str
42、uck down by a mortal blow upon the head.nLethal 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.nCyanide is a lethal poison.nWith the exception of lethal,all these words can be used to
43、 describe something that causes great fear or discomfort,or that brings about disaster or ruin,but that dose not lead to physical death.na fatal mistake;a deadly insult;in mortal terror.n2.faithful,loyal,constant,staunch,resolutenFaithful implies continued,steadfast adherence to a person or thing to
44、 which one is bound by an oath,duty,obligation,etc.na faithful wife or husband nloyal implies undeviating allegiance to a person,cause,institution,etc.which one feels morally bound to support or defendna loyal friendnconstant suggests freedom from fickleness in affections or loyalties na constant lo
45、vernstaunch(or stanch)implies such strong allegiance to ones principles or purpose as not to turned aside by any causena staunch defender of the truth nresolute stresses unwavering determination,often in adhering to ones personal ends or aimsnShe was resolute in her decision to stay.nREAD,THINK AND
46、COMMENTnThe 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.nMartin Luther King Jr.s speech“I have a Dream”is one of the greatest speeches in American
47、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.nParallel sentence structures:“I have a dream today.I have a dream that”;“Let freedom ring”;“With this faith”nRepetition of key w
48、ords:“together”nMetaphors:“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 symp
49、hony of brotherhood”;etc.nQuotation from“My Country,Tis of Thee”,also known as“America”,an American patriotic song.nWords from the old Negro spiritual:“Free at last!Free at last!Thank God Almighty,we are free at last!”nBiblical style:“the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,and all flesh shall see it together”;“when all of Gods children be able to sing”;“Let freedom ring from”