Comparison of Tim Collins` Speech and Jfk`s Inaugural Address

Comparison of Tim Collins` speech and JFK`s inaugural address

• The speech by Tim Collins was addressed to a far smaller audience, comprised solely of the members of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment, compared to the Inaugural speech which was intended to have a wider-reaching impact. JFK sought not only to influence those stood before him but to send a message around the globe at a time where the world was poised on the brink of nuclear war.

• The purpose behind each speech is also quite different; Tim Collins` speech is commanding, giving orders and asserting authority to a far greater extent than the Inaugural speech. Similarity can, however, be drawn in the fact that both were intended to motivate and inspire those who they addressed. Furthermore there is a shared tone of diplomacy between the two, Tim Collins appears reasonable in his assertion that “those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send” and JFK attempts to present himself as a mediator- “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belabouring those problems that divide us”. As such we can assume that both speeches were intended to depict the speaker as sympathetic and reasonable. This would have been particularly important as in either case the speech was given in an atmosphere where tensions were high.

• A common feature of both speeches is antithesis; Collins uses it when saying “but if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory” and “we go to liberate, not to conquer”, likewise JFK employs this device a number of times. For example: “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” There is also an aspect of parallelism to these lines. Both speeches used this sentence structure in order to emphasize certain points or ideas.

• Another convention of rhetoric which can be found in both speeches is direct address, the use of “you” in order to present a point or idea as more personal to a specific member of the audience, thus more impactful. In the Tim Collins speech, direct address is common due to the need to give commands but is also used to place responsibility with the soldiers. For example: “I expect you” and “you will be shunned unless your conduct is of the highest order”. Kennedy also uses direct address; he says later in the speech: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. He

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