Question

President John F. Kennedy delivered his “We Choose to Go to the Moon” speech to a crowd of thousands at Rice University Stadium in Houston, Texas on September 12, 1962. The purpose of the speech was to address the uncertainty of the country about the time and cost of sending a man to the moon. Kennedy used rhetorical appeals and devices to achieve his purpose. He used logos by citing facts and figures about the progress of science and technology in the country. He also used pathos by appealing to emotions such as hope and fear. For example, he said “we meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance.” He also used ethos by establishing his credibility as a leader who is determined and cannot be deterred. He used antithesis by contrasting knowledge with ignorance, and by contrasting space exploration with war. He also used repetition by repeating the phrase “We choose to go to the moon” several times throughout his speech. These rhetorical devices helped Kennedy connect with his audience and achieve his purpose of inspiring them to support space exploration.

Answer 1

Explanation:President John F. Kennedy announced his plan to send a man to the moon in a speech on September 12, 1962, at Rice University Stadium in Houston, Texas. Kennedy admitted in his address that this project's duration and expense were unpredictable, but he argued that development and global leadership depended on space exploration. Kennedy underlined the value of information, development, and strength and pointed out that despite the enormous growth in scientific knowledge and human resources, there were still a great number of unsolved mysteries. He also emphasized the necessity for the United States to lead space exploration in order to keep it from being ruled by an adversarial banner of conquest and the need of using new knowledge and rights for the advancement of all people. Kennedy recognized the expensive nature of the space program but maintained that the advantages of space exploration made it worthwhile. According to his famous quote, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." Since Kennedy's speech established the objective that resulted in the successful Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, it is regarded as a watershed point in American history.