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A Rhetorical Analysis Of Challenger Tragedy Speech By Ronald Reagan

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The 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster was a heartbreaking event that happened in our Country’s history. According to the History Channel (2010), “the American shuttle orbiter Challenger broke up 73 seconds after liftoff, bringing a devastating end to the spacecraft’s 10th mission”(Staff, 2010). Seven significant lives of astronauts were lost that day. Ronald Reagan, the President of the United States during this time, gave a very successful speech to the country regarding the disaster. The Space Shuttle “Challenger” Tragedy Address had several different things that made it historically successful. There are many ways a writer can make a speech persuasive and successful. Two examples found in Reagan’s speech are emotional appeal and ethical appeal. …show more content…

Emotional appeal or Pathos is persuading the audience by appealing to their emotions (“Big Fish Presentations,” 2013). Seven lives were lost that day in this terrible disaster. Reagan takes in account each and every live that was lost on the Challenger Space Shuttle; he speaks out to the families of their loved ones. That is emotional appeal because he linking his words to the audience with a personal connection. An example of Pathos personal connection in his speech would be when Reagan directly stated to their families by saying:
For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "Give me a challenge, and I'll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us. (Reagan,

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In Reagan’s eulogy Thatcher uses pathos to unite herself with the audience, through the mutual feelings of grief and sorrow over losing a friend. In the opening lines of the eulogy Thatcher creates pathos by using diction. In lines one and two Thatcher said that a “Great President… Great American… Great man….” has died. Her choice of using the word great instead of good or any other adjective, effects the audience by showing what kind of man Reagan was. Since death is a universally known topic, it is safe to say that everybody has experienced the pain of losing a great person to death.

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Finely the president tied the incident that day to events that took place 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake who died in see. Bringing this he is comparing the Challenger seven to Sir Francis Drake, he is also telling the public in order for them to explore there should be sacrifices, and public should never turn its back to the program. Though, President Reagan’s speech about Challenger shuttle was short, it carried a lot emotions expressed by his tone of voice and his ability to deliver the speech, moreover, he did an effective job of persuading his audience, whether he was mourning them or informing them the message was clear. However the president didn’t have the right strategy about the part he was apologizing to the children that was watching, he should never had to mention another teacher going to space in his speech.

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His inclusion of analogies and emotional appeals, combined with his strong sense of authority, brings his arguments into focus and gives them a punch. His power in delivering this speech quite possibly kept America looking towards the stars and propelled them into the next age of space exploration. President Reagan’s speech serves as a touching conclusion to a tragic event. Despite the terrible catastrophe, Reagan’s four-minute speech provided closure on the one-minute tragedy whose impact will be felt for

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In my opinion this helps comfort the families by informing them that we all stand with them One example of this is when Reagan says “But we feel the loss” in the fourth paragraph. Also Reagan strays away from the negative aspect of the disaster. The focus of staying positive provides a sense of purpose. Regan explains how the “seven” was full of courage and that they died doing what they

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On January 28th, 1986, Ronald Reagan, the president of the United States at the time, in his speech, entitled “Challenger Disaster,” addressed the Challenger Disaster. He supported this claim by first mourning over the tragedy, then he promoted NASA, also he tried to make sense of this calamity, and finally he informed the audience that the seven astronauts will never be forgotten and as a country we will be forever thankful for their service. Through Reagan’s use of tone, rhetorical analysis, and rhetorical tools he effectively persuaded America to mourn and appreciate the lives of the seven astronauts loss and to convince American people to continue their support for NASA and move forward as a country. Reagan unified America with his supportive

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