Abstract:
On September 12th 1960, just two months prior to one of the closest
Presidential elections in American history, John F. Kennedy faced the Houston
Ministerial Association and delivered a powerful speech on religion and
Americanism. The "religious issue" of the 1960 campaign drew immense interest
and trumped other issues pertinent to the campaign. The speech came on the heels
of the dissemination of abundant anti-Catholic literature throughout the United
States, as well as statements by two prominent religious groups attacking Kennedy's
candidacy directly. Kennedy's speech helped to alter views of him as an outsider
with alien beliefs, to a true American seeking to lead from a position based on
Constitutional principles and traditional Americanism. This thesis analyzes the
rhetorical strategies used by Kennedy to alter perceptions of his character.
Employing an interdisciplinary approach that concerns rhetorical strategies in
political discourse, this thesis utilizes Edwin Black's conception of metaphor and
ideology in conjunction with Kenneth Burke's theory of substance. The analysis
shows that Kennedy's use of metaphor expressed a familial-based ideology that
helped him to identify with audience members and overcome negative perceptions.
The findings of this study suggest that the use of metaphor and ideology have
powerful implications for building and expressing good character.
