Comparing Loaded Words In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar And President Ronald Reagan

In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and President Ronald Reagan's 1987 “Tear Down This Wall” speech, both Brutus and Reagan make convincing speeches to their respective audiences. Brutus conveys his funeral speech after the death of Julius Caesar, while Reagan speaks to the German people about issues of the Berlin Wall. Although the speeches are made thousands of years apart, both use appeal to patriotism, rhetorical questions, and loaded words to construct a persuasive speech. One of the most sensitive, but effective ways to capture an audience’s attention, is through the appeal to patriotism; which both Brutus and Reagan do, in their respective speeches. In the commencement of Brutus’ oration speech, he declares, “Brutus rose against Caesar, is my answer-Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (III.ii.21-23). When Brutus says this, he appeals to the audience's sense of patriotism. Brutus publicly confirms that he puts the loyalty of his country, before his friendship. This allows

In his oration speech, Brutus utilizes loaded words in order to gain reaction from the audience. He uses words like “vile”, “ambiguous”, and “valiant” to emphasize parts of his oration, having a more effective, and emotional effect on the people of Rome. Brutus’ use of loaded words, help him in his rationalization of Caesar’s death. When Brutus uses words of such strength, it sways the plebeians emotionally in his favor. Similarly, during his speech in Berlin, President Reagan exploits loaded words as well. Reagan uses terms such as, “brutal”, “vast”, and “unassailable” to enable a stronger reaction to the message he is conveying. By using these words, he dramatizes parts of his speech to gain a forceful and more emotional argument against the Berlin Wall. Both Brutus and Reagan, employ loaded words to help their audiences to evaluate their perspectives as