Question 1 We are all equal human beings and we should “bind up the wounds among us” peacefully without violence against violence. To become “brothers and countrymen once again.”

Question 2 The tone of the essay is serious – the topic and context of the essay The tone of the essay passionate. Kennedy states “this is a time for shame and sorrow” and “our lives on this planet are too short and the work to be is to great”. He reminds us of our own mortality. His words demonstrate the strength of his beliefs and convictions. He is trying to encourage us to use our time to solve the problems society faces, rather than wasting it on being violent.

Question 3 The method of development used in paragraph 6 is example/anecdote. The examples give us every day examples of how we tolerate violence. This helps to reader to realize that we do this without thinking, thus we “tolerate a rising level of violence”.

Question 4A An example of an allusion is in paragraph 5 where he makes reference to Abraham Lincoln. This is an example of an allusion because Kennedy is making reference to a historical figure in hope that the readers understand the reference. The significance of this rhetorical device is he is making reference to someone who also fought for civil rights. He also died for his beliefs. He uses Lincoln to show how the cycle of violence has continued for a long period of time. Lincoln abolished slavery but the cycle of violence continues today (with MLK Jr. assasination).

Question 4B In paragraph 9 he says “deadly destructive”. This is an example of alliteration because he repeats the consonant sound “d”. The writer explains that the violence of institutions is just as “destructive” as “bombs in the night”. The d sounds provide a more negative conotation because it is associated with “Death”. It also provides rhythm and flow as it flow off the tongue of the reader.

Question 4C In paragraph 9 he uses an analogy. An analogy he when you compare to situations. He compares physical violence to the “violence of institutions. It reminds that readers that destructive acts of violence are just an dangerous as its slower counterpart. He is describing apathy, and the way our society is currently structured to oppress individuals and groups.

Question 4D An example of a rhetorical question can be found in paragraph 3. He asks “Why? What has violence ever accomplished?”. This is a rhetorical question as he already knew the answer and proceeds to answer it himself. This rhetorical devices emphasizes the senselessness of violence which connects to his thesis that violence of any kind is never a solution. The question implies that violence never accomplishes anything and prompts the reader to think about the negative impact of violence in their lives. The rhetorical questions also serve as a transition in the body of his essay where he argues why he believes that violence never solves problems.

Question 4E In paragraph 10 he uses parallel structure. “When you teach a man.., when you teach”. Parallel structure is the repetition of a grammatical structure in a sentence. He repeats “when you teach” in the same grammatical structure. This is important because he emphasizes the fact that we teach people to hate other human beings and that we teach the reasons we use violence. The use of parallel structure and particularly the word “you” to emphasize that facts that we are all to blame and that we are the only ones who can solve our problems.

Question 4F He uses anaphora in paragraph 9. “This is the violence of institutions…this is the violence…” This is anaphora because it is the repeating of the same group of words at the beginning of sentences. Here he repeats “this is the…”. This use of anaphora is effective because it relates to the death of MLK Jr. This is because in his famous speech “I have a dream” he uses anaphora several times. Kennedy uses the same rhetorical device in his speech to honour King and the legacy he left behind. It is a tribute to the public style of public speaking that King had.

Question 5 Kennedy makes the audience feel important as he uses “you” “we” “I” a lot. He reminds us that we are all guilty of using violence. He also says that he has “saved his one opportunity, my only event of today” to signify how important he thinks this is.

Question 6 He outlines several problems that pervade out society. For example, children going hungry, that we tolerate violence, poverty and a lack of education, and that we don’t admit to our own faults.

Question 7 The purpose of this inconsistency is possibly to make the audience feel guilty about how intolerant they are. He also maybe wanted to encourage rather than discourage by reminding the audience that they have the ability to make a difference. He may have wanted to remain more objective rather than appearing aggressive.