Name three rhetorical devices Kennedy uses in his inaugural speech and provide an example of each.

Kennedy used many rhetorical devices during his speech; these three are among the most notable:

Antimetabole: Although President Kennedy deploys many rhetorical devices throughout the speech, none was as memorable as one called antimetabole, in which the same words are used in successive clauses, but in reverse order:

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

"Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate."

Anaphora: Note the repetition of the word "to" at the beginning of six consecutive paragraphs: "To those old allies," "To those new states," "To those peoples," "To our sister republics," "To that world assembly," and "Finally, to those nations." That rhetorical device is known as anaphora, since the repetition occurred at the beginning of each subsequent thought.

Alliteration: This type of phrasing refers to a repeated sound in words, phrases, or sentences. In his last sentence, Kennedy used the phrase, " ... let us go forth to lead the land we love," a terrific use of alliteration.