News — Ever heard of a chiasmus? Fifty years ago this week, President John F. Kennedy used more than one chiasmus to great effect when he delivered his inaugural address, according to Rowan University Communication Studies Professor Daniel Schowalter.
鈥淎sk not what your country can do for you鈥攁sk what you can do for your country,鈥� was one of the defining moments of the speech, a chiasmus delivered masterfully by Kennedy, says Schowalter, who teaches public speaking and rhetorical studies. The dictionary defines chiasmus as 鈥渁 reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases.鈥�
鈥淭he ancient rhetoricians, especially Quintilian and Cicero, recognized thata true art of rhetoric--one that leads to virtue--required not only substancebut also rhetorical flare,鈥� says Schowalter. 鈥淜ennedy鈥檚 speech exemplifies this ideal.鈥�
Kennedy鈥檚 address, which also used metaphor effectively, was the most memorable inaugural speech since the 1950s, says Schowalter. Its poignancy resonates even today, he says.
鈥淎lthough there have been great presidential speeches since, I can鈥檛 think of an inaugural since JFK鈥檚 that is as notable,鈥� he says. 鈥淜ennedy made great use of rhetorical devices to get his message across.鈥�
While Kennedy used his speech to reference our 鈥渇orebears鈥� ideals鈥� within the contexts of 鈥渞enewal and change鈥� and spoke strongly about Communist enemies in the names of 鈥渓iberty鈥� and 鈥渇reedom鈥� and 鈥渉uman rights,鈥� he also made a significant call to service, Schowalter notes.
鈥淭he speech marked a shift in American politics toward international service and helping other countries help themselves. And, of course, a lasting legacy of the Kennedy administration was the Peace Corps,鈥� says Schowalter.
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