Welcome to our blog! We are Michelle, Ankit, Chase, Omair, and Alex: the authors of this blog. All of us are part of the College Park Scholars Program here at the University of Maryland. We have united to analyze pieces of rhetoric from the Space Race of the 1960’s and Space Exploration in the 21st century. We are writing this blog because Space Exploration has been a major part of our nation's progress and has a great impact on American culture. As a group composed mostly of STEM majors, we have used our passionate interest in science and technological advancement to write this blog. Blogging about Space Exploration is a great way for us to come together and voice our beliefs on political involvement in future scientific advancement.
We chose to analyze two speeches as the focus of our blog. The first speech was given by President John F. Kennedy at Rice University, and the second speech was given by President Barack Obama at NASA headquarters. Both of these speeches addressed the importance of space exploration to America and mankind. Space Exploration has long been an indicator of world technological superiority, and speeches by JFK and Obama epitomize the American efforts to come out on top.
We chose to analyze two speeches as the focus of our blog. The first speech was given by President John F. Kennedy at Rice University, and the second speech was given by President Barack Obama at NASA headquarters. Both of these speeches addressed the importance of space exploration to America and mankind. Space Exploration has long been an indicator of world technological superiority, and speeches by JFK and Obama epitomize the American efforts to come out on top.
In each of the texts, the U.S. presidents are attempting to gain the nation’s support in their efforts to further space exploration. In his Moon Speech, JFK is trying to get the audience to believe that sending man to the moon is the right decision. He stresses the importance of being the first nation to send man on the moon, because it will show America’s dominance over other nations. During this time period two superpowers were emerging, the United States of America and the Soviet Union: the kairos of the JFK speech. JFK emphasized in his speech that to prove our dominance we had to put a man on the moon before the Soviets. JFK also stressed that just because something is dangerous and uncharted doesn’t mean we need to be afraid of it. Although Obama was not in a race against a particular nation like Kennedy, he still emphasized the importance in furthering space exploration. Obama noted the improvements that could be made here on Earth as a result of greater funding for NASA. With the many environmental issues on Earth still yet to be resolved, Obama notes the past technological advancements and future ones that could potentially improve the overall condition of our environment. Obama deals with a different audience than Kennedy because during the 1960’s Americans were very keen on supporting space exploration but now there is controversy over whether or not the expenses are worth the benefits.
When comparing both texts many similarities and differences can be seen. Both orators utilize many rhetorical devices to advocate their beliefs. We found that one of the most important rhetorical devices present in these speeches was ethos. Because both are President’s of the United States, they possess similar ethos appeals. Both have intrinsic and extrinsic appeals because of their education and backgrounds. Their ethos benefits their cause because they are able to reach a large audience who responds well to their use of patriotism.
The order that we present this information in our blog was chosen to give a strong foundation on the rhetorical tools that each speaker used in his speech. For example, we wrote about the rhetorical appeals used in each speech first, such as logos, pathos, and ethos, and then went on to talk about the audience and other miscellaneous topics. The rhetorical appeals were written first to show how the presidents’ speeches were effective, and then the audience, to illustrate to whom the appeals were most effective and why. We believe that it is important to understand the rhetorical appeals present in the speech in order to analyze other aspects of the speaker’s approach.
Our blog reaches out to those who are interested in learning about one of the aspects that contributed to our nation's technological superiority. Ever since Kennedy first gave his Space Race speech, space exploration has become more and more important. As additional questions about our Earth arise, increased efforts in space exploration will get us closer to obtaining answers. With the rate at which many of these issues are approaching us, it has become crucial that future space exploration gains national support. We want readers to understand that space exploration has lead to unprecedented amounts of innovation. These advancements are necessary because one day Earth may be uninhabitable and our race may need to colonize another planet. We must start actively exploring space now before it is too late.
The order that we present this information in our blog was chosen to give a strong foundation on the rhetorical tools that each speaker used in his speech. For example, we wrote about the rhetorical appeals used in each speech first, such as logos, pathos, and ethos, and then went on to talk about the audience and other miscellaneous topics. The rhetorical appeals were written first to show how the presidents’ speeches were effective, and then the audience, to illustrate to whom the appeals were most effective and why. We believe that it is important to understand the rhetorical appeals present in the speech in order to analyze other aspects of the speaker’s approach.
Our blog reaches out to those who are interested in learning about one of the aspects that contributed to our nation's technological superiority. Ever since Kennedy first gave his Space Race speech, space exploration has become more and more important. As additional questions about our Earth arise, increased efforts in space exploration will get us closer to obtaining answers. With the rate at which many of these issues are approaching us, it has become crucial that future space exploration gains national support. We want readers to understand that space exploration has lead to unprecedented amounts of innovation. These advancements are necessary because one day Earth may be uninhabitable and our race may need to colonize another planet. We must start actively exploring space now before it is too late.
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