Question

Read the following excerpt from President John F. Kennedy's "We Choose to Go to the Moon" speech. Then, answer the question that follows. I do say that space can be explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war, without repeating the mistakes that man has made in extending his writ around this globe of ours. Which rhetorical device does Kennedy use to support his argument? Antithesis: he is contrasting space with fires Figurative language: he is using alliteration and an idiom to calm the audience about the space race Irony: he is saying the opposite of what he means about fires Rhetorical question: he issues a statement about fire in the form of a question

Answer 1

The correct answer is:
Antithesis: he is contrasting space with fires.

In the excerpt, Kennedy is contrasting the exploration and mastery of space with "feeding the fires of war" and making mistakes as humanity has done on Earth. This contrast (exploring space peacefully vs. the mistakes made on Earth) is an example of antithesis.