Rhetorical Features of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Presidencial...

In the fall of 1963 Kennedy’s Administration was preparing campaigns for the election of 1964 in hopes of bringing the fragile Texas Democratic Party closer. The Kennedys headed to Dallas on the morning of November 22, 1963 to attend a scheduled luncheon. On that tragic day President Kennedy was assassinated in a senseless act of violence. Within the next few hours, Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president. In the midst of a grieving country, he was given the duty of handling a transition in leadership and presenting an acceptance speech before Congress. LBJ gave his acceptance speech of the U.S. presidency in front of Congress just five short days after John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. Expectations were high but then†¦show more content†¦Vulnerability may be seen as a weakness in a leader’s character, but in these rare circumstances of sudden death these feelings are to be expected in a state of shock. Within the President’s message he also employs an additional rhetorical feature in regards to its deliberative genre. Johnson spends a great deal of the speech explaining political plans and goals for America’s future. He also clarifies that he will â€Å"continue the work of President Kennedy.† The significance of this is that he has revealed his future agenda as well. By vowing to carry out the agenda of the Kennedy administration he is making a case for his assumed role of responsibility to keep the country in a forward movement. The deliberative genre here benefits his situation because he is demonstrating his hands-on approach to the sudden presidency bestowed upon him. A second example of the use of deliberative genre is when Johnson takes a stance on how the country will access nations abroad. He declares that â€Å"Those who test our courage will find it strong, and those who seek our friendship will find it honorable.† Here President Johnson has taken a stance against any doubts that America would not be able to handle such a tragedy in a graceful manner. This handling of words cultivates a positive and preserving attitude about America as a leading nation and loyal government. Lyndon B. Johnson’s timeliness in