preview

Rhetorical Analysis Of John F. Kennedy's Speech

Decent Essays

John F. Kennedy was an American politician; he served as the 35th president of the United States. He was in office from January 1961 until he was assassinated in November 1963. Beginning in the late 1950s, the world’s two most powerful countries, the United States and the Soviet Union were competing against each other in a space race. Each side wanted to prove how superior they were to the other in technology. Although cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person to orbit Earth, Kennedy knew that America could defeat the Soviet Union in the race to send a man to the moon. He needed to prove the Soviet Union wrong. On May 25, 1961, John F. Kennedy announced his goal of sending an American to the moon before the end of the 1960s. He later gave a speech at Rice University in September of 1962. He discussed his ideas about how he planned to accomplish his ambitious goal, his purpose of wanting to defeat the country’s enemy, and why he was poised and confident about winning the race. Through the use of ethos, logos, and asking rhetorical questions Kennedy informed his audience that America will beat the Soviet Union in the race to send a man to the moon. …show more content…

Kennedy doesn’t have to make his credibility known, but he wants his audience to trust him. He acknowledges a few guests in the audience and thanks everyone for attending his speech at Rice University. He says, “I appreciate your president having made me an honorary visiting professor.” The President of Rice University gave Kennedy that title because he earned it, and Kennedy’s purpose for mentioning his honorary title is because he wants to give his listeners another reason to believe him. He wants to ensure people he is passionate and serious about overtaking the Soviet

Get Access