Johnson lists a number of issues which plague America’s cities most notably “the decay of the centers and the despoiling of the suburbs” and he hammers home the point that “our society will never be great until our cities are great”. Through the first piece, Johnson asks his audience to help tackle America’s problem of over accelerated urbanization. All of this grandiose talk sets the stage for the details of Johnson’s “Great Society,” in which he splits his proposal into three distinct sections. A certain mood is built through these allusions when Johnson declares “For half a century we called upon unbounded invention and untiring industry… The challenge of the next half century is whether we have the wisdom to use that wealth to enrich and elevate our national life, and to advance the quality of our American civilization”. The first few paragraphs of the speech are spent broadly defining Johnson’s definition of his “Great Society” as he conjures allusions of America’s grand past while comparing it to utopianist dreams of the future. Johnson’s choice to unveil his plans at Michigan meant that he would immediately have a welcoming audience, but his intended audience extended far beyond the Michigan graduates to include all of America’s youth and even other politicians back in Washington. Everything about Johnson’s speech was calculated down to the last detail in order to create the greatest rhetorical effect and this is something he is very successful at. Here is another example of using JFK’s memory, and Johnson chose Michigan because of its strong history of civic engagement. It is inspiring to see how all of you, while you are in this country, are trying so hard to live at the level of the people”. As he states in the speech, “This is the place where the Peace Corps was started. Along with the timing, the location was not random and Johnson most likely unveiled the “Great Society” at the University of Michigan for a very specific reason. Johnson hoped more people would support his policies if he invoked JFK’s spirit and it was certainly a perfectly executed use of kairos. ![]() With his founding of the Peace Corps, JFK was very concerned with cultivating a civically engaged society and Johnson’s “Great Society” is a natural extension of JFK’s philosophy. Coming only six months after the assassination of President Kennedy, Johnson unveils his bold plan to the nation and in many ways it is homage to the spirit of JFK. There is a very subtle genius in the timing of Johnson’s speech and it qualifies as an excellent example if kairos. Through rhetorical appeals and kairos, Johnson uses an elevated tone to challenge the nation’s youth to help build a “Great Society” and propel the nation to greater heights. The speech received rapturous applause and is considered to be one of the more eloquent speeches of the late 20 th century despite its seemingly impossible goals. ![]() He was addressing not only the graduates in attendance but also the youth all across the country and the speech sent a notice to the establishment that the status quo would soon be changed. ![]() Speaking to the thousands of graduates in attendance, Johnson used his speech to unveil a grand three-pronged plan in which America’s youth would rise up and tackle the mounting problems that the nation was facing. ![]() If one takes a deeper look into his presidency however, you will find he proposed a grand domestic policy which would revitalize America and truly create a “Great Society.” Johnson first outlined his “Great Society” at the commencement address of the University of Michigan on May 22,1964. Johnson is often forgotten by the American public and if he is remembered it’s only for his bungling of the Vietnam War. Sandwiched in between Presidents Kennedy and Nixon, Lyndon B. Lost in the annals of history, is a former president with grand speeches and even loftier dreams.
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