– There are 3 different responses

– 1 question and 2 answers to respond to

– The question requires a 400 word answer

– The two answers require 200 word responses separately

Question: Module 5 soundscape features an excerpt from President John F. Kennedy’s famous speech at the Berlin Wall in 1963. How do you interpret Kennedy’s message in this speech? What did he mean when he said “Ich bin ein Berliner” (“I am a Berliner”)?

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1st Answer: To appreciate the impact of this speech from President Kennedy, I wanted to state the history and context of it. Immediately after World War ll, the city of Berlin was divided into West Berlin, made up of Americans, French, and British. The West side of Berlin was made up of Capitalism. The other side, East Berlin, was controlled by communists. There were people from East Berlin who would try to flee from East to West, because of the communist approach. Thus, Nikita Khrushchev, a soviet leader started construction of the Berlin wall, to prevent anymore Germans from fleeing. East German authorities had cut off food supply to the Western side of Berlin. Shortly after this U.S Military had airlifted supplies to them. Just 8 months before President Kennedy’s speech, he had faced Khrushchev, over Soviet missiles in Cuba. Before this agreement there was a high chance for nuclear war. Now with understanding the context of the speech, I think I can properly address your questions.

During the time of Kennedy’s speech, it was a very tense time, especially for those living in Berlin. I interpreted his speech as one of solidarity. He spoke with so much ease and confidence that he was very reassuring in that, he was in it with them. That he was there in support of them, a people under siege, who had survived a world war their ancestors had started. He made it very clear that they were at the frontlines on the stand against communism, and that they were very important for this. With them being at the frontlines, he wanted them to feel supported and encouraged in every way possible. It’s very obvious that when he spoke, the people of West Berlin adored him and soaked up everything he said, I believe if I were in their shoes I would’ve done the felt the same. I think President Kennedy spoke with eloquence and confidence, in turn making me feel confident and would have made me want to continue fighting to end communism. Although they were denied food and supplies from their country for their beliefs, he thought they were brave in sticking through the hard times, to be a free people. He was confident in that, the Berlin Wall would fall & Germany would reunite. Thus democracy becoming the new normal for the rest of Europe.

President Kennedy e declared “Ich bin ein Berliner” which he meant “I am also a citizen of Berlin”. Like I stated above, I think Kennedy went above and beyond by making this statement especially in German. He wanted them to know that he was not claiming to be born in Berlin, rather to be a Berliner in spirit and he was proud to be in this with them. I also believe by him speaking that he wasn’t just saying he was a Berliner but also that America was in support of them and they too were Berliners!

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2nd answer: President John F. Kennedy’s famous speech at the Berlin Wall in 1963, had essentially served as a message of unity to the citizens of Berlin. During this time period, brooding conflict had erected between the Communist and non-Communists sectors of Berlin. In which the political powers controlling East Berlin, had created a wall cutting off society from that of West Berlin’s (Vanhoof, 2020). Tensions became high amongst the divided, as hundreds were unjustly barricaded from their friends and family. Thus, on June 26, 1963, many had gathered to witness Kennedy’s speech in the hopes that he would be able to reassure their efforts with positivity. Considering the Berliners were doing what little they could to combat the oppression from East Berlin’s corrupt government. President John F. Kennedy even felt so inclined to compliment on the fighting spirit of the Berliners, and even asserted that he was proud to be in the presence of such a community (Vanhoof, 2020).

Consequently, when he uttered the words “Ich bin ein Berliner” Kennedy had basically declared that he was in support of their plight. Although he was not a native of Berlin, he wanted to make it clear that he was in tune with their struggle. Kennedy was known to have a fixation on foreign policies, and on occasion would involve America in such affairs (Florida State College of Jacksonville, 2020). Especially when it came to situations that encompassed threats of Communism, in which he was always in favor of the communities that were being subjected to these invasive ideals. President John F. Kennedy wanted West Berlin to know that America was on their side, and he would continue to make appearances if need be.

I also noticed that Kennedy would occasionally take jabs at the powers of East Berlin, while simultaneously criticizing their governing with sarcasm. For instance, he stated that America’s democracy was far from perfection and the status of freedom did not come without difficulty (Vanhoof, 2020). Yet, Kennedy followed up with the notion that the situation definitely never called for a wall to keep the “free” from running away. Therefore, while I interpreted a positive message of solidarity from President John F. Kennedy’s speech, I also took note of the undertones of ridicule for the Communist regime. I would have applauded Kennedy for masking the negativity with light-hearted commentary, instead of throwing Berlin’s harsh reality back into their faces with a lack of empathy and dry rhetoric. I am more than certain that he made the people of West Berlin hopeful for the future, and maybe eased their spirits by showing that they were not in the fight alone.

– As I stated above, the final product should be 3 different responses

– All can be in the same word document, just done seperately