ipl-logo

Essay On Ronald Reagan's State Of The Union Address

1105 Words5 Pages

Ronald Reagan was an influential and innovative American President who was often called the “Great Communicator” because of his inspirational speeches. From 1982 to 1984, Reagan gave three official State of the Union addresses. Reagan’s State of the Union addresses from his first term in office conformed to the conventions of modern State of the Union addresses and will be proved by the following points: • The speeches follow a structured formatting of showing concern, targeting specific issues, and offering policy recommendations. • Reagan’s addresses were given orally and followed typical word count. • The tone was optimistic and patriotic and used unifying diction. • The speeches addressed what has become universal State of the Union address …show more content…

As the “Great Communicator” (History.com Staff), Reagan knew how to keep an audience enraptured/enchanted/captivated/enthralled/delighted in the simplest way possible. He was intelligent to know that the basic structure of the SOTU address was powerful and clean. He utilized it well because it had demonstrated in the past its effectiveness in both communicating to the general public and to Congress. This structure of speech also allows the president to gently tell a story from the president’s point of view, go from general to specific, and give explanations for proposed …show more content…

This is demonstrated in Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1965 SOTU address, in which he says “…we have achieved a unity of interest among our people that is unmatched in the history of freedom…” and “We are moving… we are strong and we have proven our resolve… we know that history is ours to make.” Reagan conformed to tradition by keeping this optimistic tone. For example, from his 1983 address, Reagan states: I would like to talk with you this evening about what we can do together – not as Republicans and Democrats, but as Americans – to make tomorrow’s America happy and prosperous at home, strong and respected abroad, and peace in the world. (Reagan) This was a quote from the second paragraph of his speech, and it clearly shows Reagan’s intent: to give a balanced report and look away from political differences. This one quote would instill a sense of national pride and hope. It also unifies and caters to many different audiences by labeling all as “Americans.” It also shows his optimistic tone through hopeful diction choices, such as “peace”, “happy”, and “prosperous.” (Timary--- look at the 1984 speech also for great optimism

Show More
Related

Analysis Of Margaret Thatcher's Eulogy Speech For Ronald Reagan

731 Words | 3 Pages

Ronald Reagan was America’s 40th president who lead our nation through The Cold War, one of the most intense time in the history of America as they fought against communism. In Margaret Thatcher’s eulogy speech for Ronald Reagan(2004), she elucidates what a kind and powerful man he was, unifying a formerly divided nation. Margaret expresses that Reagan’s leadership was the key to ending The Cold War. She adopts a solemn and sentimental tone in order to appeal to the american people after the death of one of america's most inspirational presidents. Thatcher uses repetition, strong diction, and ethos in order to illustrate what an influential president Ronald Reagan was.

Read More

Ronald Reagan Speech Rhetorical Analysis Essay

873 Words | 4 Pages

The first rhetorical skill that Reagan uses is ethos. In the very first sentence he implies his status and authority by stating, “I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans.” By showing us his power as President of the United States (the

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Ronald Reagan's Speech

1123 Words | 5 Pages

Being personal is a good way to unify people. In this speech President Regan uses a rhetorical canon; which is style, effectively. President Reagan personalizes his speech by talking directly to the families of the fallen heroes. Personalizing the speech was a good choice because it is a more effective way of talking about the situation rather than just talking about the incident an informing what happened. Also his choice of using the words “us” and “we” triggers unity among the nation.

Read More

Similarities Between Ronald Reagan And The Conservative Resurgence

557 Words | 3 Pages

Ronald Reagan and the Conservative Resurgence The rising tide of a new capitalism, a powerful intellectual movement that is still rising, created political momentum that swept Ronald Reagan to prominence and power. After two decades of sexual revolution and moral degradation of American society, this wave crashed down on the American people with a strong and powerful force, calling for greater moral standards and more freedom to the people. This Reagan revolution restored faith in America and changed the social values in the United States for the better.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Margaret Thatcher's 'An American Embodiment'

690 Words | 3 Pages

An American Embodiment Since the founding of our country the American people have seen 45 presidents, but according to Margaret Thatcher, one stands out among the crowd for his exceptional accomplishments. In a eulogy given on June 11, 2004 that was dedicated to the late President Ronald Reagan, Thatcher utilizes repetition, ethos, and antithesis to deliver a message to the American people. Through the use of these rhetorical devices, Thatcher is able to convey her belief that Reagan was an honorable man who was an embodiment of American ideals and people. In the opening of her speech, Thatcher uses the strategy of repetition to establish a character for Ronald Reagan in order to remind the audience that Reagan was, in his basic principles, American.

Read More

Ronald Reagan Challenger Disaster Rhetorical Analysis

1002 Words | 5 Pages

Another point that he stated that included the entire country was, “They served all of us” (3). These statements address the country as a whole and target those that were in desperate need of support for the loss of their loved ones. Ronald Reagan’s pronoun use to include and address the audience had a great effect on making those that tuned into the speech feel included. Ronald Reagan’s speech was effective in its purpose of honoring and mourning those that were involved in the disaster and promoting NASA. He succeeded in this purpose by effectively using a supportive and optimistic tone, the use of ethos and pathos, and his use of pronouns to address and include the audience.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Ronald Reagan's Speech At The Brandenburg Gate

446 Words | 2 Pages

Pushing aside all controversy about Ronald Reagan, his speech at the Brandenburg Gate was one of the most bold moves by a president. He was told by many of his advisors not to deliver his speech, much less travel to Berlin. Although his speech was controversial, one must take into consideration the level of audacity it took to deliver this speech in Berlin. It was a given that his speech would be put under many critics’ microscopes. The idea of integrating their own language into his speech was extremely decisive and prodigious.

Read More

What Is The Purpose Of Ronald Regan's Speech

1255 Words | 6 Pages

(The communicator, para 1) Purpose and Audience Ronald Regan’s speech targeted a conservative audience, but since this speech was televised, it was open to the public. His speech took place in Los Angeles, California and the total duration of the speech was twenty-nine minutes and thirty-three seconds. A relatively short speech, such as this one, can be considered informal. The purpose of this speech was to

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Margaret Thatcher's Eulogy Thatcher

826 Words | 4 Pages

The loss of a nation's leader is a tremendous blow the people's stability, and induces a painful reflection on how the state suffered, shifted, grew, and healed under their authority. The United States faces such a blow after Ronald Reagan's Passing, and while he passed nonviolently his departure forced up uneasy memories of an weak era in united states History. Regan was beloved by the people for his hand in healing nationwide fear induced by the the looming threat of nuclear weaponry and a shaky economy. With Reagan no longer living much of the people were left with a sense that a security blanket has been ripped from under the nations soil. Margaret Thatcher, a past prime minister of Great Britain and dear friend of Regan’s delivered a heart throbbing eulogy to

Read More

Reagan's Challenger Speech

90 Words | 1 Pages

The speech I would like to discuss in this week’s discussion is “Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger Address” to the Nation by President Ronald W. Reagan on January 28th, 1986. I chose this speech because it is aimed to children, adolescents, adults and seniors without demeaning anyone. Reagan’s Challenger speech is a touching proof not only to his talent as an speaker but also to his idea of America. This speech stood out to me because it is hard to imagine a political leader today speaking as he

Read More

Fdr State Of The Union Speech Analysis

1735 Words | 7 Pages

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State of the Union Address in the year 1942 opened with a powerful start. He remained good in posture, strong verbal skills, gestures and strong eye contact with his audience which goes to show confidence and being in control of your speech (Stephen D. Boyd, 2017). He addressed the Americans, the citizens of the United States before he mentioned anything. He went to show that the President, himself found faith in their spirits and how he was merely proud of his citizens. He presented a powerful statement to his audience by acknowledging them and according to Matt Eventoff, “a statement or phrase can catch the audience’s attention by keeping them guessing as to what you’re about to say next.

Read More

Ethos In Ronald Reagan's Speech

1503 Words | 7 Pages

He uses the small ethos to motivate the audience to combat the evil things of the world. Furthermore, he relates to the audience and connects with them, then pushes them into what he thinks they should do. Reagan also uses a bit of bandwagon in his speech, which, in addition, helps give the “push” that some of the audience might need. An example of bandwagon within the speech would be this: “There is sin and evil in the world, and we’re enjoined by Scripture and the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might. Our nation, too, has a legacy of evil with which it must deal.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of A Time For Choosing

1747 Words | 7 Pages

In this address he makes a sweeping critique of liberalism, big government, and federal payments. (Encyclopedia) In this speech, known as “A Time for Choosing” Reagan used logos, pathos, and mood to invoke people’s feelings about making the right choice when choosing their leader in order for society to have a stronger and successful future. Historical background

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Ronald Reagan's First Inaugural Address

1089 Words | 5 Pages

On January 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan gave his “First Inaugural Address” with the United States listening; some people were able to experience firsthand Ronald Reagan’s passion and views for our country, in Front of the Capitol Building, while others tuned in to listen on the momentous occasion. Ronald Reagan sets the stage for his presidency using logos through logical sentences that are meant to bring the audience a better perspective on his point of view. Diction was a key factor in showing Ronald Reagan’s strong sense of nationalism; he chose powerful, hopeful words and phrases that were intended to unify the people. He shows syntax through anaphora, repetition, and parallelism. By using these rhetorical devices, he states key phrases more than once to create an urgency and therefore grab listener’s attention.

Read More

A Time For Choosing Speech Analysis

830 Words | 4 Pages

On the 27th of October in 1964, Ronald Reagan gave a speech called “A Time for Choosing” on behalf of Barry Goldwater. His speech was so popular that it is also known as “The Speech”. Afterwards, Ronald Reagan ,also known as The Great Communicator, was thought of by many people as a great political speaker. This speech was given to endorse the Goldwater campaign, even though Goldwater lost the election. The Speech launched Reagan’s political career into action and he later went on to be the Californian governor and President of the United States.

Read More

More about Essay On Ronald Reagan's State Of The Union Address

Related Topics

Open Document