Background
What is the big difference between the USSR and USA?
From only reading paragraph 4 (no other paragraphs), what words or phrases sum up JFK's purpose for pursuing the space race?
"Knowledge and progress", "exploration", "great adventure"... it seems that his purpose is to get people to engage in scientific exploration.
When and where did JFK deliver this speech?
Rice University in Houston, TX in 1962.
How do you define "rhetoric"?
The art of persuasion.
What percent of the solar system's mass does the sun account for?
A. 69%
B. 79%
C. 89%
D. 99%
D. 99%
What occurred in 1945 that made the potential conflict so great between the USA and the USSR?
The USA used a nuclear bomb to help bring WWII to a close. This new weapon could be used again, and that would be a terrible disaster as it is capable of killing so many so quickly. The threat became a defining feature of the Cold War.
While getting to the moon may be an awesome scientific challenge, what is the other purpose that JFK has in mindfrom end of paragraphs 5 and 7?
He wants to do it for America (and the world's) security from the threat of having a bunch of nukes in space.
What connection is Kennedy making between space exploration and the city of Houston, Texas?
The people who founded Houston were active and looked to the future, and Kennedy says we need to have the same attitude regarding space exploration.)
What are the three Aristotlean rhetorical appeals?
Make your case more convincing by emphasizing
Ethos- your reputation
Pathos- the emotions in your audience
Logos - the facts, stats, and other things in your argument.
Why is it that the tiny moon can cover up the huge sun during a solar eclipse?
The Sun is about 400 times bigger across than the Moon, but it also happens to be around 400 times farther away from Earth. As a result, the Sun and Moon appear to be nearly the same size in the sky—even though the Sun is much bigger.
Bonus: what was its name?
The USSR.
Bonus: Sputnik
What line shows Kennedy separating his POV from those in the US who wouldn't support the space program?
"But this city of Houston, this state of Texas, this country of the United States, was not built by those who waiting and rested and wished to look behind them".
The word "But" shows that his POV is different from theirs...
What does Kennedy mean by saying that he is shifting emphasis on space exploration “from low to high gear”?
He means he will start emphasizing it a lot as a major goal of government.)
Which of the modes of appeal is this?
"Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, “Because it is there.”
19 Well, space is there, and we're going to climb it...
What is "ethos" because Mallory was a famous explorer, and JFK wanted to share in that reputation in his own plan to explore.
What was Neil Armstrongs words after walking on the moon?
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
The Soviets sent a dog into space (Laika). What was the first mammal the US sent up there?
A rhesus monkey named Albert II. s
Consider the pronoun most often used in each paragraph. What is it, and why would he use it?
It is "we" (first word in paragraph 1,7,9,12). He does it to create a sense of connection with the listener--that the space program isn't just Kennedy's idea but every American's.
According to Kennedy, how has the new emphasis on the space program affected the economy?
See Paragraph 15: Kennedy says the program has already created many new jobs and several new companies.
In paragraph 8, JFK asks five questions about "why" we take on challenges. The last question is "Why does Rice play Texas?" What rhetorical device is that, and why use it??
Bonus: where in the second instance of that rhetorical device in the speech?
A joke. While it does lighten the mood, to get points you should see that it creates "ethos"... that Kennedy is "one of us"--he knows our teams and how good or not good they are, so we should trust him about this space stuff.
Bonus: It is in paragraph 17 when talking about the heat of reentry, he quips "almost as hot as it is here today".
Katherine Johnson was the name of the woman who did the math for how to get the astronauts to the moon and back again. What was the name of the movie that was made to dramatize this achievement?
"Hidden Figures"
What was an invention that came out as a direct result of the Apollo space mission? (100 points for each one you can name).
Shock-absorbant sneakers,
Fire-proof jackets that firemen wear
Microwave ovens
Vacuum-sealed Food
Thermal Blankets
Dustbuster
If someone did not have Kennedy's pro-USA point of view, how might they criticize these lines:
"For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the Moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding."
True or False: the problem Kennedy has with the US space program is that the Russian satellites are much more technologically advanced.
False: he said American satellites are "far more sophisticated" (paragraph 11).
Logos: there are TONS of facts that people don't know that illustrate how amazingly challenging it is to get to the moon and back (e.g. a rocket is 3 football fields high, reentry to the atmosphere creates half the heat of the sun).
The speed of light is the fastest anything can go. Even at this speed, it would take 4 whole years to get to the nearest star and 25,000 years to get to Canis Major Dwarf (next nearest galaxy).