Margaret Thatcher's Eulogy: Ronald Reagan

Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher delivers an eulogy to the recently deceased Ronald Reagan. To convey her message of how revolutionary President Ronald Reagan was, she incorporates selective details, repetition, and patriotism. Margaret opens her speech with details about what kind of man the former president was, and how that aided his national accomplishments. In line 1, she opens with the use of “we” to explain how the nation as a whole has lost a great president. The use of the collective term makes the general audience (the American people) truly feel a sense of loss. To detail this immense loss, she explains how he was a “great president, a great American, and a great man” (1). The rule of 3 used in this description gives a snapshot

Margaret Thatcher proceeds with how Ronald Reagan differed from others, and how resilient he was. “Whatever time I've got left now belongs to the big fella upstairs” (26), shows not only how whimsical Ronald Reagan was, but also serves as religious word choice, showing the authenticity of our former president and how he was like the American people. Ms. Thatcher highlights how “others prophesied, others saw only limits, others hoped” (33-35) to present counter arguments. However, the arguments are addressed with how Ronald Reagan combated those persistent issues. Showing what actions Reagan took to solve concerns from the public, lets the American people know how proactive he was during his time in office, and backs up Thatcher's message. Also, the repetitive use of the word “others” at the start of each counter argument emphasizes the way Reagan did not think like others, but instead “won [a] war” by his own means and perseverance. The former Prime Minister shifts to detailing why and how Ronald Reagan was able to successfully deal with outside nations such as Russia during his time as

Similarly, Margaret Thatcher’s selection of detail such as “I have had time and cause to reflect” (57-58), was put in place to prove the accuracy of her recollection of the former president, and reflects the thoughtfulness of the eulogy she’s presented. To recount Ronald Reagan's attributes, the author lists how Reagan “knew his own mind. He had firm principles.He expounded them clearly. He acted upon them decisively” (59-61) as well as using the rule of 3 to explain how “he was not baffled or disorientated or overwhelmed” (63). As Ms. Thatcher shares the time where the former president had to resolve ordeals pertaining to the Soviet Union, she claims Ronald Reagan “sensed” (77) the Soviet Union's drive for military power dwindled. Using the word “sensed” implies that she viewed Ronald Reagan to be similar to that of an otherworldly being, and not like any average