Masaryk university faculty of education

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34. Lincoln versus Bush
35. McKinley versus Kennedy

General Comparison

Now that each speech has been analyzed individually on syntactic, semantic and pragmatic levels, of interest is how each speech differs from the others. In order to establish objective criteria for comparison, while taking into consideration the size of this thesis, the nature of the conflict, addressed in each speech will be used as the decisive factor. Benjamin concurs by stating that significance lines in “the impact of character and circumstance on the content of the war messages” (p. 73) For example, it will be of little use to compare Roosevelt’s speech dealing with a direct attack on American soil with that of Truman, who dealt with a communist threat halfway across the world. Clearly, the structure of these speeches, their vocabulary as well as the features used will vary greatly, yielding inconclusive data. The goal of this thesis is not to compare and contrast all available data to merely fulfill a requirement, but to only use data matching a certain criteria, thus making the analysis more valuable. Though all speeches pertain to war-like crises, not all of them are actual declarations of war, not all of them involved attacks on U.S. soil and not all of them concerned the safety of United States.

For these reasons the following pairs have been chosen, with reasoning for each pairing at the beginning of each comparison.

Lincoln - Bush

McKinley - Kennedy

Wilson - Roosevelt

Truman - Nixon

Reagan - Obama

34. Lincoln versus Bush

While there are vast differences between Lincoln’s and Bush’s speeches, mainly the 140-year difference affecting basically all language features, there are also some shared commonalities. Both were facing a non-traditional enemy, in Bush’s case the terrorists, in Lincoln’s case the rebels. Both speeches were given in Congress, where Lincoln asked for a declaration of war on his own people in order to preserve the Union while Bush asked for declaration of war on terror, wherever it might be, in order to also preserve the safety of the Union. Both presidents faced attacks on American soil, in Lincoln’s case the attack on Fort Sumter, in Bush’s the attacks on the Twin towers and the Pentagon.

As depicted in chart 9.1, both presidents focused on basically opposite topics, Lincoln emphasizing justification, steps that failed and the issue, while Bush presented a plan, appealed to American values and stressed we are good. The only topic both speakers valued equally is they are bad, but seeing a correlation would be too presumptuous.

Chart 9.1

It can be suggested that the level of confidence was greater in Bush’s case, facing his enemy in current time and place. Based on the individual analyses, it is also clear, that Bush was angry but confident in his quest for peace, whereas Lincoln was confident as well but also openly disappointed.

In terms of vocabulary or syntax, there is perhaps no other pair of speeches more dissimilar than Lincoln’s and Bush’s. While no comparison of style, syntax or even content is possible, ideas might be the sole topic where both speakers could relate.

Lincoln	Bush
And this issue embraces more than the fate of these United States. It presents to the whole family of man the question whether a constitutional republic or democracy -- a Government of the people, by the same people -- can or cannot maintain its territorial integrity against its own domestic foes.	The civilized world is rallying to America's side. They understand that if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their own citizens may be next. Terror, unanswered, can not only bring down buildings, it can threaten the stability of legitimate governments.
And having thus chosen our course, without guile and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear and with manly hearts.	Fellow citizens, we'll meet violence with patient justice, assured of the rightness of our cause and confident of the victories to come. In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom, and may He watch over the United States of America

In these examples, Lincoln is facing an issue greater than the fate of the United States, this being the fate of the democratic experience. Bush, in similar terms also faces a global issue, dealing with terrorism and its possible impacts, including threatening the stability of legitimate governments.

The second excerpts are the closing lines of both presidents, offering surprisingly similar and sophisticated (in Bush’s case) messages. Consider the similarity between Lincoln’s chosen course, the rightness and purity of the goal, and Bush’s patient justice and rightness of the cause. Both speakers also use God as a governing force, speaking of going forward without fear in Lincoln’s case and confidence in victory in the case of Bush. Whether right or wrong, whether successful or not, it is confidence in their quest, and in their discourse, which brings these two men closer.

35. McKinley versus Kennedy

Though neither president officially declared a war, McKinley communicated as ultimatum to Spain and Kennedy gave an ultimatum to Russia, both threatening forcible intervention of non-compliance. Both crises involved Cuba as a source of danger caused by a third party, in McKinley’s case by Spain and in Kennedy’s case by Russia.

As the two speeches are separated by 64 years, the data in chart 9.2 should show different approaches in terms of handling a crisis. McKinley focused most on steps that failed to show war as the last possible resort. To the contrary, Kennedy omitted this topic altogether, admitting no failure. Instead, he focused on we are good and they are bad, whereas these categories were not important to McKinley at all. Though both speakers unite in terms of issue and justification, there is an overall difference in terms of what both presidents emphasized in their speeches.

Chart 9.2

Another difference is visible when evaluating data from chart 9.21 with deictic pointers. Kennedy shows more confidence in facing the crisis from his time and place, without needing to point away, as opposed to McKinley who does not show such confidence.

Chart 9.21

Though both speeches have a similar length, between 2,500 and 3,000 words, vocabulary choices are, not surprisingly, different. While both presidents focused on American interests, McKinley uses the appeal to humanity and civilization as a key weapon, while Kennedy uses a more direct approach speaking on behalf of the entire Western Hemisphere.

McKinley

Kennedy

In the name of humanity, in the name of civilization, in behalf of endangered American interests which give us the right and the duty to speak and to act, the war in Cuba must stop.

Acting, therefore, in the defense of our own security and of the entire Western Hemisphere, and under the authority entrusted to me by the Constitution as endorsed by the Resolution of the Congress, I have directed that the following initial steps be taken immediately:

There are also similarities, for example both speakers mentioned Cuba 19 times, and both also included words like nation or peace. It is clear, however, that over 60 years of political, social and language development has played its role, mainly in the confidence and conviction of each speaker, which in turn changed the preferences in the content of their speeches.

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