Read the following excerpt from President John F. Kennedy's "We Choose to Go to the Moon" speech. Then, answer the question that follows.

Question

This country was conquered by those who moved forward—and so will space. William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

Which rhetorical device does Kennedy use to support his argument?

Antithesis: he is contrasting what the colonists did to what he wants to do
Figurative language: he is using an allusion to connect the colonists' bold actions to space exploration
Irony: he is saying the opposite of what he means about the colonists
Rhetorical question: he issues a statement about the colonists in the form of a question

Answer 1

The rhetorical device that Kennedy uses to support his argument is:

Figurative language: he is using an allusion to connect the colonists' bold actions to space exploration.

In this excerpt, Kennedy references William Bradford's historical account to draw a parallel between the challenges faced by the early settlers and the challenges the United States will face in exploring space. This allusion helps to frame the space program as a continuation of the pioneering spirit that characterized the nation’s founding.