We choose to go to the moon - Analysis

WE CHOOSE TO GO TO THE MOON1

Analysis 2

By: GC ICE3

On September 12th 1962 John F. Kennedy spoke. He spoke of the greatest journey man has yet to make, the journey to the stars. He spoke of making that first small step, the step to the moon then some day, someday soon, to other worlds. He spoke not only to the Citizens of the United States but to the whole world. Not only inspiring the imaginations of millions but giving them hope in a era of conflict. To the American Public he spoke of the newly established Apollo space program which had the as of yet unimaginable desire of landing a man on the moon. A dream that even today we look back on as one of the greatest achievements of human kind. 4

Throughout his speech Kennedy justifies the huge expenditures being spent on the program and establishes the reasons for reaching this lofty goal. He throughout the speech both directly and indirectly references the Soviet Union as a negative force competing in the same race, the space race. This is of course because of the cold war the deep anti-soviet attitude presented by the American society at that time. Thus, by appealing to public opinion he was further building a base for America’s journey to the Moon. 5

Beyond all that, this speech was John F. Kennedy’s, a man in league with Churchill, George Washington and truly one of the greatest speakers of all time. He, the 35th American President, a man of great values, a man who stood for the rights of all Americans, including African Americans in an era where people where still subjected to racial biases. A man who saw clearly that the greatest threats to man where those and still are those of tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. This was the kind of man Kennedy was, a man of integrity, a man who became a symbol to his and all subsequent generations.6

To Kennedy and to all who hear these words the meaning is clear in his statement: “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... .” Yes, we choose to do these things because they are hard and because they will measure as and the will which is ours. This is what this speech meant, by posing the question “are we willing?”. Kennedy told the world that America was ready, America was going to do it first and America would reach for the moon never looking back. It was lofty goal and he told it like it was, yet he told humanity, “No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come...”, a statement still true in a era of microchips and acronyms (DVD, HD, GB and GPS). This speech told Americans that we are ready to spend on this dream, if you too dream the same dream. 7

Throughout this speech it is evident that these words are effective not just because of the great dream within them but also because they where written with great tools. This dream was carved and painted into what it is by tools, by figurative language and stylistic devices. Tools which all great speeches and all great writings share. 8

This speech is full of such tools, one of course being metonymy. Such a metonymy can be observed in the statements of how America rode the first waves of industrial revolution, modern invention and the first wave of nuclear power. He then successfully explained by appealing to the pride of all Americans how they do not wish to be caught in the back wash of this new wave. This particular chisel was used because it showed how invention and change came in “waves”, it showed how sudden change can be and how we can hope to gain from this change. This metonymy thus gave his words more impact and deepened their strength. 9

Another tool or rather more so a paintbrush used in writing is the simile and this too was used in this piece of writing. Kennedy when explaining how great America's achievements in space where already told us of how accurately it was to be landed on Venus by making it comparable to landing a missile from Canaveral between the forty yard lines of the college stadium he was speaking at. This allowed him to reach a connection with the audience who where already in the stadium and could see the yard lines. This simile further created an amazing image in the minds on everyone who heard the speech including those who read it now. 10

Yet another successfully used paint brush used within this speech is the hyperbole, the gross exaggeration. Here Kennedy stated that the temperature generated by the reentry of a spacecraft which is twenty five times the surface temperature of the sun is “almost as hot as it is here today”. That statement is of course untrue but it was said in order to draw a image to the audience not to mention as a way to create humor. 11

Now the final question: why is this speech famous? This speech is famous for not just the reason that great tools of comparison and imagery are used in it. It is famous because it spoke of a dream much like Martin Luther king's dream, yet this was the dream of space and its wonders. Although this speech was almost spoken half a century ago it still carries and immense weight within its words for even today people are hoping to retrace our path to the moon. For even today we are struggling against the placing of arms into space. For even today the human hunger to explore is as strong as it was on that hot September day in Huston. 12