Space Race

Space Race

Dale Earnhardt once said, “finishing races is important, but racing is more important.” The 35th president of the United states, John F. Kennedy, also portrayed this in his Moon Speech. This speech was delivered on September 12, 1962, with the object of entering the space race for improvements, discoveries, along with becoming the first in the world. Through his words, John F. Kennedy, uses ethical appeal, logical appeal, and lastly the audience’s sympathies to persuade that the race space is only a challenge intended to be won.

In the moon speech, John F. Kennedy uses different techniques of ethical appeal to persuade the audience. He uses the example of the worlds evolution to persuade the audience that the challenge is possible. “No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man’s recorded history in a time span of but a half- century...Only five years ago man learned to write and use a cart with wheels. Christianity began less than two years ago. The printing press came this year, and then less than two months ago, during this whole 50- year span of human history, the steam engine provided a new source of power’ (pr.6). This provides the audience with evidence, that if we have come this far in a short amount of time, we will be able to go farther with the challenge of space race. The speaker also references back to the 1630’s to get his point across. “William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage” (pr.10). Meaning that the challenge to become first, would be accompanied with ...

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...nderstanding” (pr.12). With this portion of the speech it seems as if Kennedy would be to blame them for any inconveniences such as, the space being filled with weapons of mass destruction if they decided not to join the race.

Throughout the Moon Speech, Kennedy uses ethical appeal, logical appeal, and the sympathies of the audiences, to get his point across. He not only gets his point made across but he also gives the lesson that to be number one they must go through challenges full of obstacles that only people who are willing to make through and have the courage will do so. Just like Kennedy made the reference to British Explorer George Mallory “...was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, ‘Because it is there’.”

P.S I apologize for the lateness I had sworn I had shared it with you last friday, was out of town and realize till now.