The 1960’s, a time of both peace and war at the same time. With the U.S. government constantly trying to flaunt their tech off to the Soviets and the Soviets boasting about their astounding success with Sputnik there was one crowning challenge that would irrevocably determine which country was truly superior. In 1969, a speech entitled “We Choose to Go to The Moon” was orated by John F. Kennedy in Houston Texas. This prodigious speech expertly inserts numerous amounts of Foreshadowing to help the audience understand his vision of what America could be as well as his uniformly crucial use of Anaphora to help highlight previous milestones. He also conveys what he says with an adept understanding of body language showing in the form of constant …show more content…
pauses together with reserving hand movement for the more important moments in his speech. This speech is directed towards two groups for two distinctively different reasons. The first group this speech is directed towards is the American people for the purpose of inspiring as well as convincing them that this milestone is for the greater good. However the other group this speech is directed towards is the Soviets for the purpose of teasing and mocking them which in turn causes a notion of jealousy and defeat within the USSR. At the end of the speech it is evident that Kennedy has indisputably maintained the attention of the crowd throughout his speech and dextouriously swayed them towards his point of view. Kennedy adds a sense of astonishment and triumph by alluding to the past 50,000 years of technological advancements and condensing them as if they were 50 years. “No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man¹s recorded history in a time span of but a half-century”(Kennedy). Kennedy further creates dismay by preceding that we never even started building advanced shelter until 40 years. This creates an epiphany within the crowd when they realize that man had started their erratic modulation in technological advancements only 10,000 years ago. He does this in hopes that the crowd will understand that space travel is just another leap towards becoming a more advanced and sophisticated race. Furthermore, Kennedy explains that we need add space travel to this list of accomplishments soon or another Country will claim the throne and America will be left in the dust rather than partaking in this endeavor as the leading party. Kennedy also succeeds in adding a sense of eagerness by Foreshadowing on the problems that can arise if we do not take action now as well as the rewards we can gain from this endeavor.
Kennedy lectures that if we do not claim dominance over the stars now and show that space is a place of knowledge and peace rather than tyranny and war then the country that passes us up may not have the same intentions of peace. “can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war” (Kennedy). This is incredibly revealing because Kennedy’s speech may be part of the reason why space has not been used for war. The next image Kennedy incorporates into the speech is the considerable rewards and opportunities that are first come first serve. While this is still a true statement concerning the limitless opportunities and rewards Kennedy does not consider the infinite vast area that space occupies which denounces his argument of first come first serve considering the infinite number of resources. Kennedy’s use of Foreshadowing does an inconceivable job of swaying the people towards his way of thinking and creating a feeling of yearning and even restlessness for …show more content…
space. Kennedy adds a sense of suspense and awe with his stylistic speaking choice where he is heard making constant pauses within his speaking. I determine that Kennedy used this immense amount of pausing to create suspense however, it could also be in part of the fact that he is reading off of a script. Nevertheless, if his use of constant pausing was intentional or accidental it is still very effective in creating tension as well as giving the audience time to process what he is saying rather than overwhelming the crowd with a plethora of words. Kennedy adds extra purpose to the more important bits of the speech by reserving most of his hand movements until he has reached those points.
During most of his speech he is seen gripping his podium with his left hand and making minor amounts of movement with his right. However, when he begins to address the concerns of peace and especially when he is taking shots at the Soviet Union the movement of both of his hands increase substantially. This is especially revealing because he needs to keep the audience's attention before they zone out. With this hand movements being one of the few things he does in order to keep the audience's attention it is very important for Kennedy to use this technique only when absolutely necessary. From the response of the Audience and the media following the speech I believe that it is safe to assume that Kenney’s technique had payed
off. Kennedy’s speech does a superb job at both convincing the American people that this goal is for the best as well as inspiring people to take career paths related towards space. Kennedy’s speech was so successful because it tugged at the heart strings as well as appealed to the human nature of constantly trying to improve and better themselves. The rhetorical devices he used were especially important because it gave people hope to strive to a more progressive way of thinking. His use of foreshadow gave people hope about the future of America as well as give them a sense of fear that if we do not commit to this goal now the people that pass us up may try to use their position in space for destructive and vile purposes. His use of allusion towards past accomplishments gave the people a drive to improve and try to beat the past milestones. Altogether I think it is safe to assume that the speech that Kennedy delivered could not have been done any better and has left impacts on this world that cannot be forgotten.
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.
As a result of the successful mission that landed the first men on the moon, called the Apollo 11 mission, many people were inspired to provide commentary on this landing. Although these texts describe unique individual purposes about this landing, they all effectively support their purposes through the use of several rhetorical devices.
This is a sophomore from Cleveland, Ohio. As a Politics and Government major and Spanish minor, she hopes to eventually become an immigration attorney. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and participating in 5k races. Elizabeth will be presenting the speech A Time for Choosing, by Ronald Reagan. This speech was Reagan’s political debut and his endorsement of the 1964 Republican presidential nominee, Barry Goldwater. In this speech Reagan discusses why he supports Goldwater as well as the Republican Party. This is one of the most famous American political speeches because it explains the platforms of modern Conservatism.
In September 1961, president John. F. Kennedy delivers one of his best inspirational speeches titled “We choose to go to the Moon”. This notorious speech was addressed at Rice University in Houston Texas to a very fortunate crowd of students. The significance of his timing is both vital and genius for at the time being the cold war between the United States of America and Russia had been in mid-hype, Russia leading in the space race. This brought doubt to the Americas power and authority thus giving his speech more influential drive. Kennedys fear of the Soviet Union landing on the moon first is because he did not want to see the accomplishment “governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of
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 Soviet’s were responsible for putting man on the moon, rovers on Mars, and launching the Hubble Space Telescope. Indeed, it was the United States’ foes that drove the U.S. to accomplish perhaps the greatest feats of the twentieth century. Following the defeat of Germany and Japan in World War II, tensions between former allies, the United States and the Soviet Union, began to grow. In the following decades, the two superpowers would duke it out in competitions and tremendous shows of nationalism. They formed unmatchable rivalries in politics, economics, sciences, and sports. These rivalries would become clear when two countries competed in the space race, a competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union concerning achievements in the field of space exploration. The Soviet’s took the early lead as they put the first satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. The launch of Sputnik 1 established a sense of fear into the American Public, resulting in the creation of NASA in the late 1950’s which opened the door for space exploration today and for future generations.
Kennedy had realized that the only way to overtake the Soviets after falling so far behind, would be by putting the first man on the moon. The US morale had taken a serious blow following Sputnik and the first cosmonaut in space, Yuri Gagarin. On September 12th, 1962, Kennedy delivered his famous speech, saying “We choose to go to the moon.” Kennedy knew that it was essential to gather support behind a manned mission to the moon from the American public. Although many argued that it would be easier, and more efficient to send an unmanned mission to the moon, it was more about the morale boost and the message a man on the moon would send to the
...very once in a while to maintain the formality of the speech and to convey imperative messages to his audience. Interchanging between the short sentences and the lengthy sentences grabs the audience’s full attention, permitting Kennedy to most persuade them that he qualifies for his position as U.S. President.
Early on in the race, the USSR was very successful. In 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik, which triggered the start of the space race (John F. Kennedy). The United States began to scramble, trying to catch up with the Soviets. However, soon after, the Soviet Union completed another huge success. They sent the first man to orbit Earth (John F. Kennedy). In 1961 the USSR’s Yuri Gagarin became the first human to ever orbit the Earth (John F. Kennedy). The United States was still unsuccessful and beginning to look weak. After that, America got serious. On May 25, 1961, President Kennedy asked Congress for around eight billion dollars to build up the space program over the next five years (John F. Kennedy). The president declared, “This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth” (John F. Kennedy).
To accomplish a great movement these men needed their audience to be awoken and come to action. Getting people to get up and act according to your words is a trait that Kennedy and King alike possessed. Kennedy knew his facts and was an educated man. When speaking to his audience he
In this excerpt from Moonwalking With Einstein, Foer uses relatable examples and contrasting diction to persuade the audience of the natural brilliance of the human mind without the complexities of modern day lifestyles. Foer addresses the common business man/woman who is required to recall “word-for-word instructions from their bosses” as well as the average high school student who has been enrolled in “the Advanced Placement U.S. history curriculum” in order to provide an example that resonates with the general population. Foer’s specific examples aids the reader in remembering the struggles that modern humans deal with. This effective targeting has an impactful appeal on the audience by forcing them to recall emotions related to the stated
The Space Race is remarkably similar to that of the arms race because of the parallel between the creation of the atomic bomb and the goal of reaching the moon. The United States’ bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki effectively established its place as the technologically superior nation; however, major milestones in space achieved early by the Soviets damaged America’s reputation. In 1957, Soviet scientists shocked the world by successfully launching the Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, beyond the Kármán Line (the boundary of space). This amazing breakthrough “rattled American self-confidence. It cast doubts on America’s vaunted scientific superiority and raised some sobering military questions.” This blow to national pride along with the fear that the Soviets could potentially launch ICBMs from space led to “Rocket fever”. The sudden wave of nationalism and the desire to build a space program worthier to that of the Soviet Union led to the...
Samuel Crompton says,”Space exploration served as another dramatic arena for Cold War competition.”(Crompton 56). The real reason that the United States joined the Space Race was to compete with the soviet union. JFK makes this very clear. The Soviets were ahead of us and this was unacceptable, being behind technologically was detrimental to morale.The Cold War wasn’t really a war at all. It was just an arms race, the space race was just an extension of the arms race. It was never really intended to have any scientific, technological, or strategic benefits. Dwight D. Eisenhower may have planned for the space program to focus on science, but when kennedy took the office he used NASA as a piece of propaganda. He never had any intention of using the space program for research. When Kennedy was first deciding whether or not to create a space program he sent a memo to his vice president Lyndon B. Johnson asking him to research a few things. None of JFK’s questions had anything to do with science or technology. They were all about the Soviet Union 's space program. The first questions was, “Do we have a chance of beating the Soviets by putting a laboratory in space, or by a trip around the moon, or by a rocket land on the moon, or by a rocket go to the moon and back with a man.”(Kennedy). JFK’s sole interest was beating the Soviets. He didn’t care about any other benefits. Everything else came second to beating the
On September 12, 1962 John Franklin Kennedy charged the nation to achieve what no other civilization had done before; he charged the United States to place a man on the moon. Kennedy delivered his man on the moon speech in a time of great peril for the United States. It appeared that the Soviet Union was rising faster than the United States was posed to take our place as the world’s super power. His moving speech in Rice Stadium inspired the nation and other nations, to take the challenge and travel to the moon. Kennnedy use of allusions, repetition, and rhetorical questions motivate and embolden his audience, and make a difference that would last forever.
So what was going on leading up to John F. Kennedy’s famous speech? After war world II and when America used nukes, everyone in the world was trying to gain nuclear capabilities so they could become a world power. So with everyone having nukes, there was a giant fear that “Dooms Day” was coming and the Earth would be destroyed. In 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man made satellite. This scarred Americans to death because they had no idea what they were dealing with. Is this satellite spying on them 24/7 or was it preparing to launch missiles at the USA? The fact of not knowing is what scarred the citizens of the United States. So with the 1960 election coming around and communism seeming to be getting stronger every day, America needed a strong leader.