John F. Kennedy at American University: The Rhetoric of the Possible, Epideictic Progression, and the Commencement of Peace

Authors

Denise M. Bostdorff, The College of WoosterFollow
Shawna Ferris, The College of Wooster

Publication Date

2014

Document Type

Article

Journal Article Version

Accepted Manuscript

Volume

100

Issue

4

Abstract

In his American University address, Kennedy employed epideictic progression, a pedagogical process drawing upon dissociation and epideictic norms to convince listeners, gradually, to embrace a new vision—in this case, a world in which a test-ban treaty with the U.S.S.R. was possible. To do so, Kennedy's words: (1) united the audience behind the value of “genuine peace”; (2) humanized the Soviets as worthy partners in genuine peace; (3) established the reality of the Cold War and the credibility of U.S. leadership; and (4) connected lessons on genuine peace to domestic civil rights.

Keywords

John F. Kennedy, epideictic, dissociation, war, peace

Recommended Citation

Bostdorff, Denise M. and Ferris, Shawna, "John F. Kennedy at American University: The Rhetoric of the Possible, Epideictic Progression, and the Commencement of Peace" (2014). Quarterly Journal of Speech, 100(4), 407-441. 10.1080/00335630.2014.989895. Retrieved from https://openworks.wooster.edu/facpub/239