JFK speech video

      The audio and video of JFK's speech gives a whole new perspective on it. When you read the transcript of his speech you miss the tone in his voice. His tone conveys his passion for moving America forward. His use of dramatic pauses and changes in pitch and volume are very effective in inspiring Americans to feel a patriotic duty to be the first to land on the moon. The space race was an important step to prove the power of democracy and JFK's speech speaks to the urgency in the situation. The Soviet Union had at this time launched the first orbital satellite, Sputnik. JFK's tone does not show that he has any doubts that America will be able to respond with something better. He puts pressure on by giving Americans a definite goal. There is debate over whether JFK was one of the best orator's of all time. This video shows how many people could argue this, the difference between just reading his words and hearing his words is exponential.

JFK Style Analysis

Style concerns the artful expression of ideas. Due to the centrality of style rhetoricians pay great attention to it. JFK's style varies depending on his speeches. In his "Moon Speech" JFK tries to motivate the audience. He needs the people of the nation to believe in him. So, that is why JFK utilizes different rhetoric devices such pathos, logos, and ethos. Throughout his speech JFK stresses the importance of the exploration of space.

The imagery JFK invokes in his audience is extraordinary. Throughout his speech he is trying to unite the audience over a cause. This cause is the exploration of the unknown. He wants the nation to believe that he is doing the right thing by sending man on the moon. JFK was a visionary and that is why he was so good at convincing his audience. He was able to enable individuals to see things from his perspective. His orating ability is what made his such an influential president. JFK was able to relate to all individuals during his presidency. JFK donated his salary every year to charity so people of all classes could relate to him. This appeal to everyone adds to his style when he speaks.

Soviet Propaganda

As with every conflict, there were two sides to the Space Race. This is an example of propaganda released by the Soviet Union, featuring an elderly woman looking up to the stars and the Moon. The moon has what seems to be a soviet base. The poster is captioned "In the Name of Peace."

This poster utilizes a variety of rhetorical appeals, including ethos, and pathos. First off, the elderly women suggests a character of vast wisdom. This established ethos gives validity to the caption - in the name of peace. The woman is pointing to the moon, which has a soviet establishment, implying that "winning" the space race would lead to ultimate peace.

Her look of inspiration and determination also rubs off on the audience, hopefully increasing their support for the soviet race to the moon - an appeal to pathos. Similarly, the bright light shining behind the woman instills hope, that the poster suggests a solution to end the conflict: beating the US to the moon.

This poster was released at a time of great ideological disputes and global tension, primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union - the poster's kairos. Both parties saw the race to the moon as a means to triumph over the other, not only in technology, but also in arms and ideologies.

Obama's Style

The style of Obama's speech is fitted to his audience. The president repeatedly praised the achievements of the American space program, and expressed gratitude to the men and women who dedicated their careers to it. Another major part of the speech's style is a sense of hope for the future. Especially towards the end of the speech, Obama described NASA and American space exploration as being destined for greatness in the coming years.

The purpose of this style seems to be one of motivation. Obama spoke in order to give his audience hope and a fire to push NASA to new levels. The applause of the audience is evidence that the style chosen by the president was effective.

Audience in JFK's Speech

John F Kennedy’s audience during his Moon Speech was student and faculty at Rice University in Houston Texas. Anyone viewing the speech on television or the radio was also part of his audience. Kennedy chose to speak to them specifically because he believed Rice students and faculty to proficiently represent “knowledge, progress, and strength”. He believed targeting people that encompassed those qualities would best help guide America through the fearful and challenging times brought about by the Cold War. Also since Rice is amongst the most prestigious universities, Kennedy believed it would be a suitable place to implement the new techniques and tools of learning brought about from developing space travel. While addressing his audience Kennedy used pathos to link their emotions with his desire to improve space exploration. He notes how the state of Texas was conquered by those who “moved forward – and so will space” to instill a sense of pride into the crowd at Rice. The choice to make his audience college students in Texas proved to not only to target young and innovative minds but also develop pride across the nation.

Audience in Obama's Speech

      In his speech, President Obama addresses an audience full of NASA scientists and employees, as well as key political figures. Although this is the direct audience he also tailors his speech to reach viewers at home and the media. He recognizes that his audience does not want to see a drop in the NASA budget and assures them that he is a big supporter of space exploration. He addresses his indirect audience by countering the concern that tax dollars are going to waste with a sound argument as to how funding NASA is beneficial. He knows his audience very well and plays on their innate sense of patriotism to inspire them. He also includes the audience in his speech by using the pronoun “we.” He tells stories that any American could relate to and take pride in. Those stories include the first moon landing which is an exciting story for any American but even more special to scientists who work in the same field. Overall President Obama does a very good job of recognizing his direct audience and larger, more public audience.

Major Argument/ Stasis Theory in JFK's Moon Speech

When JFK delivers his moon speech there is a major argument that he is trying to portray. JFK is attempting to stress the importance of exploring space. As the president of the United States of America JFK feels responsible to further the progress of this nation. The only way we can progress is to explore space.

JFK's speech can also be analyzed through stasis theory. Throughout his speech JFK voices his opinion on the major accomplishments of this nation. JFK makes it seem like we have easily accomplished everything we have wished for so space is just another milestone. The meaning of space is endless discovery. Every corner of this world has been explored but space. Space is the only uncharted teritory for us humans. Therefore,  we should invest our time and money to discover the secretes of space. This issue is very serious because JFK wants to be the first nation to step foot on the moon. As a nation we need to show our power and explore the unknown first. By stepping on the moon before any other nation we show our world dominance. JFK is asking the audience to leave everything in his hands he just needs the support from the people of the USA. As long as he has the support of the citizens of the United States of America JFK can achieve anything.

Logos in JFK's Moon Speech

The implementation of logical arguments, statistics and facts is one of the most powerful tools of rhetoric. John F. Kennedy makes the most of this fact in his Moon Speech at Rice University in 1962. Kennedy quotes numerous statistics to both further establish his ethos as well as reassure the American citizens that their tax-payer's money is not going to waste when they're paying "more than 50 cents a week for every man, woman and child in the United Stated."  He uses statistics as well to inspire his audience , when he says, for example, "Despite the striking fact that most of the scientists that the world has ever known are alive and working today, despite the fact that this Nation¹s own scientific manpower is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth more than three times that of our population as a whole, despite that, the vast stretches of the unknown and the unanswered and the unfinished still far outstrip our collective comprehension." With his quote, he is challenging his audience to strive for increased knowledge, and how would we attain this knowledge of the "vast stretches of... unknown"? Through the space missions.

Another way Kennedy uses logos is his references to history. He states that "Within these last 19 months at least 45 satellites have circled the earth. Some 40 of them were 'made in the United States of America' and they were far more sophisticated and supplied far more knowledge to the people of the world than those of the Soviet Union". Using these facts, Kennedy implies that the United States is far superior in space technology than the Soviet Union. Due to this fact, it would only make logical sense that the United States lead the world in space exploration, by being the first nation to walk the moon. Although he acknowledges that we are behind in manned spaceflight specifically, he mentions that the United States had led the world in all the recent technological revolutions, and saw no reason why the space race should be any different.

Obama - Major Argument/Stasis

President Barack Obama's speech can be analyzed with stasis theory. Facts presented by the president are mostly references to accomplishments by American space missions and their importance to the success of the country. A possible problem that Obama seeks to solve in his speech is a shrinking amount of public support for NASA and future missions. This issue is caused by the viewpoint of some Americans being that space exploration is too costly or not worth the rewards.

The problem addressed by Obama is a serious one. If America is to continue leading the world in space exploration, the public needs to support NASA. If the United States cuts funds to NASA, it will fall behind other countries, and lose the benefits that come with it.

 In order to increase public support and keep NASA well funded, Obama explains why we need the program and announces an increased budget. Obama explains that NASA is actually extremely important to the country as it provides jobs and creates entire industries that benefit all of mankind.

Both Obama and JFK claim that space exploration is valuable to the country and represents Americans as a people. The exigence of their speeches are similar in that they both speak during times of a new era of space flight. JFK spoke to push Americans to work to go to the moon and Obama spoke while plans of a manned Mars missions are being created. Their arguments differ because JFK's speech inspired the initial surge of American space exploration while Obama speaks to maintain its dominance and keep NASA the space industry giant it has become.

Obama's Appeal to Logos

      Logos is an appeal to the audience’s sense of logic, President Obama addresses makes many appeals to logos as to NASA’s purpose is so important. He argues that NASA has “contributed to immeasurable technological advances that have improved our health and well-being, from satellite navigation to water purification, from aerospace manufacturing to medical imaging.” This shows that President Obama is addressing the idea that NASA is an important aspect of not just space exploration but day to day life. He is appealing to the common man who might have qualms over spending so much money on NASA. He shows that the large budget is helping to make advances that will improve our quality of living and that the large spending with little changes are a thing of the past. Later in the speech, President Obama lays out a plan for spending the budget with a purpose. He explains that he wants to set goals and a strategy to reach these goals. The progression of this speech follows a format that persuades the audience that investing in NASA is the right (and logical) thing to do for our country. Order as well as word choice help strengthen the appeals to logos, words such as “sustainability”, “essential” and “advances” persuade the audience that it is sensible to continue to spend money on space exploration. 

Obama's Appeal to Kairos

Barack Obama’s speech on space exploration in the 21^st century provided parallels and differences to Kennedy’s similar speech in 1961. Both addresses stressed the importance of the timing for America to be on board with an increased national focus on space. Obama notes that the goals of space exploration have shifted from simply going to the moon to finding ways to improve our earth’s environment and better understand our climate. The timing becomes important because if we don’t act soon then changing environmental factors, for example, can negatively alter our future generations. Obama also puts emphasis on the kairotic moment in regards to future jobs in America. By claiming that his plan will create at least 2,500 jobs on the Space Coast and 10,000 in the nation over the next 2 years, Americans are encouraged to get on board immediately to help improve the economy.  Obama also claims that even though the plan is costly, it will pay itself off by advancing our society and inspiring generations of Americans. Although Obama didn’t have the competition with the Soviet Union to justify the importance of the moment like Kennedy did, he still effectively conveyed his message that now is the opportune moment to dig deeper into space exploration.

Barack Obama's Appeal to Pathos

      The importance of the space exploration is founded on an intense sense of patriotism and competition. In his speech, President Obama uses pathos to convince the audience that supporting NASA is the duty of every American. He does this by beginning with an anecdote of the shock American’s felt when the Soviet Union was the first to launch a satellite into orbit. And proceeds to appeal to their patriotism by rehashing how America responded to the Soviet Union’s achievements. He hopes to make them feel the same pride that he feels when he says that “For me, the space program has always captured an essential part of what it means to be an American -- reaching for new heights, stretching beyond what previously did not seem possible.”  He uses the emotions of pride and patriotism to push for further research. Throughout the second half of his speech he uses the pronoun “we” often so that the audience feels that they are playing a very important role in continuing space exploration. He closes with a fond memory that anyone that was alive during the 60’s has a vivid memory of, the moon landing. He attempts to simulate the same excitement they felt then to the future of NASA.

JFK's Appeal to Kairos

John F Kennedy’s Rice Stadium Moon Speech in 1962 provided an immensely kairotic message about the necessity of space discovery. During this time America was at battle with the Soviet Union for which nation was not only the most powerful but also the most technologically advanced.

 The timing of this speech was so crucial because at that moment America needed to be completely on board with this “Space Race” and what it meant for the country as a whole. Kennedy emphasizes the importance of the timing when he states, “Yet the vows of this Nation can only be fulfilled if we in this Nation are first, and, therefore, we intend to be first”. America was built on, and extremely values, being revolutionary and the first to achieve tasks of great measure. Kennedy’s quote echoes that if America wants to be first, then right now is the time to come together and help achieve our goal. With the 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, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too”, Kennedy stresses that the timing of going to the moon is essential to preserve America’s need to be a national powerhouse. Being in the midst of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the timing of Kennedy’s speech was effective in gaining national support for space exploration.

JFK's Appeal to Pathos

John F. Kennedy is known as one of the best orating presidents in the history of this nation. His ability to use rhetoric to enthrall an audience is fascinating. In his 1962 "Moon Speech" JFK's use of pathos was a leading factor towards the effectiveness of his speech.

The persuasive appeal of pathos is an appeal to an audience's sense of identity, their self-interest, and their emotions. Kennedy utilizes pathos when he states "We meet at a college noted for knowledge, in a city noted for progress, in a state noted for strength."  By specifically stating where he is, Kennedy illicit's emotions of pride and acceptance from the audience. Also, throughout the speech JFK went through a list of substantial achievements and discoveries over the years. This appealed to the audience emotionally because it made them believe that space had endless opportunities of discovery and achievement. Lastly, when Kennedy utilized George Mallory's quote of why he climbed mount everest "because it is there", he was able to convince the audience of why this nation should explore space "Because it is there". JFK's exceptional ability to use rhetoric throughout this speech was a primary reason for the start of The Space Race.

Barack Obama's Appeal to Ethos

In his speech at the Kennedy Space Center, president Obama establishes ethos in a variety of ways. As the president of the United States, Obama comes in with a great deal of extrinsic ethos. Early in his remarks, he draws on the extrinsic ethos of some of the people present in the audience such as astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin. When Obama speaks, as the president and with the support of experts, the audience already has a high level of respect for what he will say.

President Obama establishes intrinsic ethos during his speech by referring to specific events in NASA's history. Obama shows that he is familiar with what the program has done, and how it has influenced the United States. By showing that he understands the importance of NASA to the United States., the president establishes a credibility for himself and his calls for a new era of American space exploration.

Obama states that the exploration of space has not only been beneficial to the economy and society as a whole, but has become a part of who Americans are as a people. When Barack Obama speaks with the power of his authority on the nation's need for a continued support of NASA he is extremely convincing.

JFK's Appeal to Ethos

When a president gives a speech, he often comes in with a lot of extrinsic ethos. Especially if that president is John F. Kennedy. Being loved by the majority of the population, Kennedy had an enormous level of credibility as well as the authority and experience that comes with being the president of the United States. Kennedy utilizes this authority to hopefully gain his audience's support towards "the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked."

Within his speech, Kennedy also does a great job of establishing intrinsic ethos. He speaks with an authoritative tone, and an educated diction enough to ensure that his audience acknowledges his credibility had they not known who he was. Kennedy, being one of the best public speakers of his time, delivered his speech with passion and heart, moving his audience to not only respect his authority, but to embrace his words and ideas.

Another way Kennedy establishes intrinsic ethos within the speech is through his utilization of logos. By creating logical arguments and illustrating that he is knowledgeable of both the need for, and implications of, the space exploration missions, Kennedy further increases the credibility of himself and his words.