Abstract
While less famous than MLK's “I have a dream” speech or George Bush's “Axis of evil” speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell address stands as an equally important part of American speech history. Eisenhower’s farewell address holds great significance in terms of 20th-century American political development, from its direct appeal to the people in regard to the all-but prophetic prediction of the rise of the military industrial complex, to its standing as a “Last Hurrah” of small government traditional American conservatism. The United States may have changed entirely, yet Eisenhower’s farewell address stands in time as an unheeded warning to the American people, one that is as relevant now in 2025 as it was in 1961. In this paper, I intend to dive into Eisenhower’s farewell speech, examining it with a neo-Aristotelian lens. In the following paragraphs, I will describe the rhetorical situation faced by Eisenhower in 1961, interpret Eisenhower’s farewell address according to the 5 canons, and evaluate the overall lasting implications of his speech. Lastly, I shall discuss 2 additional rhetorical considerations in terms of how they apply to this speech, those being: The narrative paradigm and fidelity of his speech.
Date
Spring 2025
Keywords
Eisenhower, Rhetorical, Analysis, Speech, Address, Discourse
Citation Style
APA 6