Rhetorical Analysis Of Space Race: Apollo Moon Landing

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Space Race:
Apollo Moon Landing

Rhetorical Analysis
CIS 111 – 046
Shane Tilton
8 May 2014
Serena Ferrell

On September 12, 1962, John F Kennedy delivered a speech at Rice University relating to the Space Race with Russia. This speech took place prior to the moon landing video release. I picked this artifact to be the backbone of this rhetorical analysis because it is credible, relates to my groups subject throughout the CIS course, and provides a visual and written representation of a different perspective on the moon landing other than my groups’ opinion.
The speech I am mentioning is often referred to as the “We Choose To Go To The Moon” speech. It was roughly 20 minutes long and was delivered in Houston, Texas, at Rice University to students and faculty. He starts his speech by providing the audience with facts about man’s inventions and discoveries, mentioning all the way back to cave men and how they used animal skin as clothing. From there John F. Kennedy moved on in history chronologically to discuss how we learned to write, use a cart with wheels, study religion, create the printing press, and develop the steam engine. He also mentioned television, airplanes, nuclear power, and telephones. He says that we need to move forward, and talks about how space will be the means of the progression of the United States. Kennedy explains that the race to space will go on whether the United States takes part in it or not, and a nation that wants to be a world leader needs to come first in the race, and not be behind. He says that we, as a country, have vowed to fill outer space with instruments of knowledge and understanding, not weapons of mass destruction. He explains how he wishes to e...

... middle of paper ...

...ess for our country than to land on the moon first, before the Soviet Union (We Choose to go to the Moon).

Kennedy, J. F. (n.d.). 1962-09-12 Rice University. - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/MkATdOcdU06X5uNHbmqm1Q.aspx
Fox, J. (n.d.). 10 Reasons the Moon Landings Could Be a Hoax. Listverse. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://listverse.com/2012/12/28/10-reasons-the-moon-landings-could-be-a-hoax/
Leavitt, K. (n.d.). Do Non-Parallel Shadows in Moon Landing Photos Prove a NASA Hoax?. Yahoo Contributor Network. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://voices.yahoo.com/do-non-parallel-shadows-moon-landing-photos-prove-3981262.html?cat=37
We choose to go to the Moon. (2014, May 5). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_choose_to_go_to_the_Moon

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