Edward M. Kennedy
1. In Kennedy's speech he mainly concentrates on two types of persuasive discourse. The first element of discourse that he makes obvious is Newman's Apologia Pro Vita Sua (Corbett 23). This type of discourse is more commonly known as Political Apologia, and it is most frequently used when a politician is trying to publicly apologize for some form of wrongdoing. Kennedy makes this apparent right from the start. He wants to let the audience know that he did not handle the situation in the right manner, and is very sorry for what happened. Kennedy makes this evident when he is stating how he entered a plea of guilty for leaving the scene of an accident, and how it would not have been right for him to comment on the matter until he had made an appearance in the courtroom. Kennedy is letting the audience know that he is bothered by the accident, and does feel bad about what he did. He shows this again when he states. "But tonight I am free to tell you what happened and! to say what it means to me"(200). At this point in the speech Kennedy is trying to communicate to the audience that he is free and ready to let his guard down and tell the people what really happened on the night of the accident. Kennedy needs to let th
By doing this he was able to draw emotional appeal from the audience and help restore their beliefs of good sense and moral character in him. Kennedy did not have to wait very long before he received feedback from his constituent's in Massachusetts. "His name had been linked with various women, generally glamorous, unlike the trim, pretty Kopechne"(Clymer, 145). Kennedy by Adam Clymer, "For years hardly anything he did, from his Senate votes to his travels, was taken seriously on its face, rather than as part of a grand strategy to recapture Camelot"(8). A specific example drawn from the speech is when Kennedy states. Kennedy was a US Senator for the past 7 years, from the state of Massachusetts. Kennedy knew that he came from a very political family, and he had to do everything he could to try and protect his family name. "Television Statement to the People of Massachusetts", 25 July 1969. "Works Cited"Clymer, Adam. As you can see by this one statement contained in this article that Kennedy had done just what he wanted in getting the people to show their support for him, and letting him know that they did want him to stay in office. He had just recently been involved in a car accident with Mary Jo Kopechne, in which she ultimately ended up dead. His brothers went on to things like being elected a delegate to the Democratic Convention, and the biggest one of them all was when his older brother John was elected President of the United States. Kennedy knew that he had to frame his speech in such a manner that would allow him to clear his name from some of the more common things, like the possibility of driving under the influence of liquor. "Little over one mile away, the car that I was driving on the unlit road went off! a narrow bridge which had no guard rails and was built on a left angle to the road"(201).
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Acceptance Essays
