Jfk Space Race Speech Analysis

In the 1960s the Cold War was at its peak, with both the USSR and America trying to spread their ideologies onto the rest of the world. The world was still uneasy due to the Korean War. In the public’s eyes, nuclear Armageddon was only a press of a button away. The Space Race was a welcome peaceful distraction for the world. The USSR and the United States were constantly trying to best each other in celestial exploration. In 1962, American President, John F Kennedy announced to America that by the end of the decade America would land a man on the moon. Kennedy carefully chose the audience and language of his speech to convince the public to support the Apollo Moon Program.

In the early 60s the perception in the global community was that America

had fallen behind in the Space Race. The Soviet Union had not only been the first nation to place a manmade object into space, they had also been the first nation to launch a manned spacecraft into orbit. For the American government this was a nightmare, due to the extreme sense of patriotism present at the time combined with the fear of Communism rife at the time, if they lost the race it would be admitting defeat to the Soviet Union. Not only would this have been committing political suicide, it would also potentially weaken America’s image as a global superpower. In 1962, Kennedy announced in front of 35,000 people at the Rice University’s football stadium that America would be the first nation to land man on the moon.

Kennedy had specially chosen the audience of his speech for a very special reason. The Rice University had been involved in the donation of land from the Humble Oil and Refining Company to NASA. Choosing the university as the location for his speech ensured that the audience felt a connection with the program, and thus more likely to agree with his proposal. The 35,000 people attending the speech were not the only people watching, the rest of America was watching the speech on television. By speaking out to America, Kennedy ensured that they agreed with his proposal, not only out of national pride but also in fear of being labeled traitor and communist.

Ultimately Kennedy’s goal was to increase the standing of America in the local and global community. Ensuring that his speech was broadcast on TV, meant that within hours his pledge would be spread across the world. Not only did this firmly entrench America in the global spotlight, it showed ambition and intent; even though America was falling behind in the Space Race, they would not give up until they had won. America is attempting a never heard of feat, that as little as ten years before hand would have been considered a pipe dream. This was not the only purpose of this speech, it was also written to denounce the USSR. The speech is littered with subtle and non subtle ways to discredit the USSR “We have had our failures, but so have others, even if they do not admit them. And they may be less public.“ This is a subtle insult aimed at not only the recent failures of the Soviet Space Program, but also the government as a whole. The Soviet Union relied on state propaganda and censored press, meaning that any failures were brushed under the rug. There are also less subtle examples, the statement “ ..they were far more sophisticated and supplied far more knowledge to the people of the world than those of the Soviet Union.” When talking about American satellites already in orbit, Kennedy states outright that the American technology is vastly superior to its Soviet counterparts. This not only belittles the scientific capabilities of the Soviet Union, it touts the United State’s capabilities.

To achieve his purpose, Kennedy uses many different literary techniques, from analogy to humour, and linking his speech to the ideals of America.

Kennedy uses an analogy in the fifth and sixth paragraphs; he compares the entire history of man to a single half century “the 50,000 years of man¹s recorded history in a time span of but a half-century.” This analogy creates a sense of urgency and need for the space program, if the world is moving forwards so fast, if America doesn’t reach the moon first someone else will. This sentiment is highlighted by the quote “The exploration of space will go on ahead, whether we join in it or not.” Kennedy constantly piqued the curiosity of the crowd, using the appeal of the unknown. Referring to “the vast stretches of the unknown”. Kennedy also links the moon goal to the fabric of the nation, continually stating “This country was conquered by those who moved forward--and so will space.” And suggesting that failure would be betraying the founding fathers of the nation. Kennedy also uses humour at key stages, to break up the seriousness of the speech. The lines “Why does Rice play Texas” and “I'm the one who is doing all the work, so we just want you to stay cool for a minute.” In the first statement Kennedy is referring to a rival university’s football team, relating the crowd to Kennedy and his goals. The other example of humour is where he was talking about the high temperatures of the sun and only a sentence later tells the audience that they should stay

cool.

The concluding paragraphs link the audience to the upcoming moon landings “I am delighted that this university is playing a part in putting a man on the moon as part of a great national effort of the United States of America.” If the audience was not already on board with his idea by this stage, they would never be. Again he appeals to the curiosity of the crowd and the sense of exploration, this is done as a final attempt to convince the audience of his goal. Kennedy’s speech was ultimately successful, with the public unanimously backing the program and a successful moon landing only 7 years later.