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Capitalism governs
America; it is the basis of the country and it will likely never go away. However, in times of
recession and economic distress, this system tends to falter, especially if large companies are not
responsible with their prices and wages. President Kennedy wanted to avoid an even bigger
disaster and, reasonably, asked for stable prices, to which the steel companies replied negatively.
In his speech, Kennedy utilizes syntax and ethos in order to further the idea that large
corporations are irresponsible for taking advantage of the American people during economic
turmoil.
In his remarks, Kennedy utilizes syntax to prove his point. Namely, he uses anaphora in
multiple places. First, it is used in the second paragraph, starting with “when we are confronted
with grave crises...” and ending with “when we are asking Reservists to leave their homes and
families…” (lines 6-10). The second instance of this syntax is in the third paragraph, where it
states that if the cost of steel is increased “it would increase the cost of homes… It would
increase the cost of machinery… It would seriously handicap our efforts to prevent an
inflationary spiral…” (lines 23-29). This heavy use of anaphora, listing the consequences of the
big corporations’ actions, is an ideal tactic to make them feel guilty. It emphasizes the impact
that the rise in prices would have on every single individual in America, and even the country
itself.
Kennedy puts it very bluntly that “there is no justification for an increase in the steel
prices” (lines 46-47). In fact, it would hinder America’s efforts to stop communism at the time.
To back up his claim, he refers to multiple reputable sources of information. Firstly, he states
that “It would add, Secretary McNamara informed me this morning, an estimated one billion
dollars to the cost of our defenses” (lines 32-34). At the time, McNamara, being a Secretary,
would and could not lie about this. The use of ethos helps the insane statistics seriously sink in.
President Kennedy also adds that “the Acting Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics
informed me... , and I quote: ‘Employment costs per unit of steel output in 1961 were essentially
the same as they were in 1958’” (lines 57-61). A long, complicated title is sure to get anyone’s
attention. Not to mention, the employment costs have not changed, but the companies have still
raised prices. It does not line up, and, as Kennedy put it, there is just no justification for it.
Through the use of ethos and syntax, President Kennedy conveys his idea that large
companies do not have the right to take advantage of the American people during a time of crisis
just because they want more money. One small raise of steel prices affected the entire country
and its economy. Large companies will never be perfect as capitalism cannot exist without
corruption. But, as long as we can catch those mistakes before they can cause a disaster, America