Rhetorical Analysis Of Jfk Speech

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In September 1962, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech at the Rice University Stadium in Houston, Texas. Kennedy appeals to the audience using an ethical perspective, logic, and figurative language to gain support for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's program to land humans on the moon. With statistics, Kennedy explains the breathtaking evolution the world has faced as a result of human inventions. The examples he provides are cavemen and how they adapted to use the skin of animals to cover themselves, gravity as Newton had explored the meaning of it, and the printer press,which had come out that year along with other significant items like television and automobiles (1962). This strategy helps the speaker express the concept that …show more content…

Kennedy continues by mentioning how humans are inevitably curious, pushing their search for knowledge. Supporting space travel and the idea of landing humans on the moon would maintain the reputation for a courageous and brave country that many civilians desire. Using repetition, Kennedy uses anaphora multiple times to express the ideas he’s proposing. He first affirms, ''...new ills as it dispels old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers.'' The speaker also uses ''...the first waves of industrial revolutions, the first waves of modern inventions, and the first wave of nuclear power...''. Kennedy utilizes these phrases to communicate the lack of attention towards the benefits of space travel and the abundant attention and practice of other ideas. This rhetorical strategy helps convey Kennedy’s message that landing humans on the moon with space travel is just as significant and beneficial as other explorations. Kennedy uses morality as he proposes the United States be the first to space travel, not only resulting in endless praise and reward, but also the fulfillment of the Nation’s set of

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