A few comments on the Biden Inauguration Speech.
- The use of alliteration. Alliteration can be an effective rhetorical device. Here are a few from this speech:
A day of history and hope. Of renewal and resolve
winter of peril and possibility, decency and dignity, greatness and of goodness
- There were two lines I felt were a nod to JFK’s inaugural address:
Biden: Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause,
JFK: We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom
Biden: And so today, at this time and in this place, let us start afresh.
So here’s my message to those beyond our borders.
JFK: Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, . . . to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
- A Mantra can be very effective when it comes organically from the text: Biden used – I will defend 3 times as a repeatable mantra.
