livery and public identity. He was effective, in part, because he understood the power of words. He never used them slackly, but instead he was meticulous and used them self-consciously (Fairlie, 39). While speaking, Kennedy's voice seethed with energy and hurried enthusiasm, a device that better kept his audience's attention. Although he no longer had time to do much of his own writing, Kennedy was a talented and confident improviser who often deterred from or abandoned his ready manuscript. As for the manuscripts themselves, he usually assisted in preparing them with his principle speechwriter, Theodore Sorensen. Together, they were an impeccable team. Kennedy was helpful in providing insight from his general readings, and often he acted as outliner, editor and sometimes creator of the phrases and text used in the body. Kennedy also had a production staff for each speech, consisting of additional writers, stenographers, researchers and literary advice men, yet Sorensen was the one who always knew concisely what Kennedy wanted to say and how he wanted to say it. He even was aware of Kennedy's pattern of speaking, i.e. where he would pause for a breath or for emphasis, and could incorporate it brilliantly into the dialogue (pbs.org). Sorensen did all of his writing long handed on yellow legal pads, and could always find the perfect classical reference to bring a critical point into focus (Salinger, 66). In his writing, he often included alliterations, internal rhymes and parallelisms, such as: "Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind," and "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate (Fairlie, 86). Sorensen 's main strength laid in his capability to blend a substantial clarity with triteness and persuasion. In one of the most nationalistic campaigns in history, John F. Kennedy was elected the 33rd President of the United States. His firm declaration of conv...
