Senator Edward Kennedy’s “Address to the People of Massachusetts on Chappaquiddick” is a persuasive speech that targets the residents of Massachusetts and the general American public as his secondary audience (Kennedy par. 1). In the speech, Senator Edward Kennedy talks about the Chappaquiddick scandal with the primary objective of swaying public opinion on the matter. Besides, he attempts to win back his fellow citizens’ confidence and respect in his ability to serve as the senator. In the speech, Kennedy faces the dilemma of portraying himself either as a hero or as a victim.
On July 18, 1969, Kennedy was visiting Chappaquiddick to attend a dinner party. When leaving the leaving the party, at about 11.30 pm, Miss Kopechne requested the Senator to give her a ride back to her hotel. The Senator requested keys from his chauffeur and started driving back home. The car ran off a bridge, and Kennedy suffered some minor injuries while Miss Kopechne died on the spot. The senator fled the scene without reporting the issue to the police and later entered a plea of guilty for fleeing an accident scene. The speech focuses on changing the audience’s negative views about Kennedy’s conduct and disposition.
A persuasive speech seeks to convince the audience to change their perceptions, actions, behaviours, or opinions. In this case, Kennedy’s speech focuses on changing public opinion about the Chappaquiddick scandal (Kennedy par. 11). The crafters of Kennedy’s speech firmly believed that the public viewed Kennedy negatively, especially after the incident that resulted in the death of Miss Mary Jo Kopechne.
The three critical elements of the Aristotelian organization include ethos, pathos, and logos. Specifically, ethos is concerned with the credibility of the speaker. It focuses on establishing the reason why the audience should believe the speakers assertions. Kennedy’s speech builds up credibility by providing detailed information about the events surrounding the Chappaquiddick scandal. For example, he states that he left the dinner party at around 11.15 pm (Kennedy par. 6). Furthermore, he systematically takes the audience through the events that unfolded that night. He also states that he lay exhausted at a nearby pond for an undetermined amount of time. Primarily, the senator seeks to demonstrate his willingness to take responsibility for the accident.
On the other hand, pathos involves making an emotional connection with the audience so that they can believe what the speaker is saying. It is about trying to make emotional bonds that influence the audiences’ perception of the speaker’s communication skills. By referring to the feeling of grief and guilt that he will endure for the rest of his life, Kennedy is appealing to the emotions of the audience, considering that the accident resulted in Miss Kopechne’s death.
In sum, Kennedy speaks candidly about his decision not to report the accident to the police right away. He considers it an immoral decision that he needed to rectify by taking a guilty plea. Nevertheless, a section of the audience is concerned about the ethics and morals surrounding an issue. Kennedy’s speech seeks to convince the audience that he is feeling morally obligated to confess his decision to flee the accident scene. Moreover, he maintains that Miss Kopechne was a family friend and that the situation was tragic. He does this to prove that he is remorseful for the mistakes that he made.
Work Cited
Kennedy, Edward. Address to the People of Massachusetts on Chappaquiddick. americanrhetoric.com. July 25, 1969. Web. February 15, 2016.
