How John F. Kennedy Convinced America Of Going To The Moon

Giovanni Gonzaga
Professor Orgeron
English 1001
26 October 2017
How JFK Convinced America Of Going To The Moon John F. Kennedy rose to the podium on the 12th of September 1962 in front of a huge gathering at the Rice University in Houston, Texas and gave a speech that was considered to be the primary reason for America’s change of attitude towards space exploration for the coming years since that day. His main agenda was to convince his audience and the rest of the American citizens that the United States could “go to the moon”. The Soviet Union had already beaten the United States in the race into space as the first human to enter space was a citizen of the Soviet Union by the name Yuri Gagarin. This essay aims at analyzing his speech
Firstly, his introduction enabled him to establish a connection with the audience which was necessary for ensuring that they pay close attention to what he was about to say and most importantly, agree with him. He started his speech by thanking the University for giving him a chance to deliver the speech and more so he acknowledged the prominence of the university by describing it as a “college noted for knowledge. His introduction was later followed by a consistent flow of ideas and examples that supported his thesis. He went on to explain how much knowledge, discovery, and technology has developed over the past decades by stating that “10 years ago, under this standard, man has evolved from his cave”. This helped in bringing his audience to light on the factors that have made him believe that his idea of landing on the moon is possible. Kennedy’s speech is informal since he incorporates humor. The use of humor in his speech was helpful since it helped him to establish a connection with his audience and to keep his audience engaged. An example of humor in his speech is when he was describing the spacecraft’s return to earth. He stated that “re-entering the atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour, causing heat about half that of the temperature of the sun…almost as hot as it is here
The buildup of ideas from the beginning to the end enabled him to deliver a clear speech that brought out his main thesis. He also took breaks in between his speech to enable his listeners to digest his points before proceeding. He started with a humble introduction that helped him to establish a connection with his audience, he then stated his main idea and explained its importance politically, ideologically and scientifically. He described the necessary steps that the country should take to successfully execute his idea of successfully landing on the moon, and concluded by thanking the University for the significant role it is playing in contributing to the matter and that the idea would soon become a reality. There are various rhetorical devices that Kennedy used in the speech. His description of “cigarettes and cigars” shows alliteration. The use of metaphors is also present when he states that “only five years ago man learned to write and use a handcart with wheels”. The use of these devices by Kennedy allowed the audience to view his ideas from different perspectives. This devices were effectively used to convince the audience on the matter at hand. His strategic placement of the devices throughout his speech made it more interesting and less