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.
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.
Multi-Paragraph Essay On February 1, 2008, the Columbia Space Shuttle disintegrated while re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in the fatalities of all seven crew members. The families of these members, as well as all of America, were struck with anguish and heartbreak. With these feelings, the nation looked for a leader to guide them with understanding and authority.
Then President, Ronald Reagan, in the speech, “Challenger Disaster Address” declared that the nation must come together following the tragic Challenger disaster. Reagan supports his declaration by acknowledging the collective grief, praising the crew's heroism, and asserting their courage. The author’s purpose is to console and inspire in order to encourage the continuation of space exploration. The author writes in a compassionate tone for the American people and the nation. I think that in a situation like this, a national tragedy, it is necessary for a president to show support to those affected by the tragedy, but also to show that the work, of those to whom the tragedy occurred, won’t go in vain.
Since the Challenger crew were able to pursue their mission with courage, it is now the future generation’s turn to undertake where they have left off, and finish where they started. Overall, Ronald Reagan took advantage of his enormous platform to give a national eulogy in order to alleviate the pain caused by the loss of the Challenger seven. Raegen pursues his delivery with the use of rhetorical devices such as Pathos and Parataxis in order to appeal to his audience’s emotions while at the
Later that night President Ronald Reagan came on air to give the State of the Union address and talk on the tragedy that had just unfolded. Through this speech President Reagan consoles the families of those who lost their lives, the American schoolchildren, and the American public as a whole. He also gives this speech to reassure America of the viability of the NASA program and the light in the future. By the use of rhetorical skill, including analogy, strong emotional appeals, and his position of power, President Reagan manages to convince America that despite the tragedy the benefits of keeping a space exploration program greatly outweigh the losses.
Tragedies, they will happen without a hint of awareness but they cannot be stopped or answered for. When they do occur it leads people to shock and grief. However tragedies brings forth something that gives people unity, hope, and direction. This something is called a leader and throughout history many people have embodied this quality. There are many instances where people have stood up an embodied this quality.
Reagan applies oratorical devices and figurative language to explain to the nation the passion and bravery the seven astronauts have. He uses parallel structure and listing to imply the passion and bravery the Challenger crew have. “But, we never lost an astronaut in flight, we’ve never had a tragedy like this” (2). The parallel structure creates a cause and effect to the tragedy. Its shocking devastation, however, it shows the nation how the future is creating new things.
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
(Dennis 714) By giving the members of the space shuttle crew a recognition as “pioneers”, the speech was poised for a smooth transition from its nature as sincere eulogy into a rhetorical work with a deliberative occasion. As soon as audience received a message implying that Challenger was a beginning instead of an end and how discovery has its risk, Ronald Reagan was in a good position to elaborate his objectives on the space program. Surely, the transition between the bad news and the new hope is one of the greatest features of the speech.
But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much”. ( Ronald Reagan pg 1). not only does President Reagan addressed his Melancholy but he is the voice of the people who are grieving and also states their voice and opinion as well. leave families of the victims in DeSoto crash could find peace in the sense of knowing, their loved ones were missed and looked up to by many. President Reagan also uses alliteration to get his point across, “...
Former President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, in his address to the nation about the Challenger explosion, distinguishes the terrifying news of the explosion of the space shuttle. Reagan's purpose is to remember the lives lost in this painful accident and to ensure that space program will keep our faith with its future in space. He adopts a sorrowful tone in order to acknowledge all the courage and breakers that those seven astronauts expressed to his nation. Reagan opens his tribute to the Challenger astronauts by recognizing that this accident delayed his State of the Union address and by showing the pain of him and his wife’s grief. He appeal to the emotions of the listeners by expressing that “today is a day for mourning and remembering” (Reagan, 1986), that he and his wife are “pained to the core” (Reagan, 1986), and that we all know that this accident is “truly a national loss” (Reagan, 1986).
Although Ronald Reagan’s speech about the Challenger explosion was given during a time of great sorrow, the speech was successful for being a way to unite the country as one to deal with the loss as a whole, and to bear the weight of such a horrific tragedy together. With the Challenger disaster being the first one of the space program to have deaths in flight, the United States was completely shocked by the misfortune of the shuttle. Ronald Reagan’s speech on the disaster was a way to have the nation not blame the space program for the deaths of the astronauts, but a way to have the nation face the disaster with strength and push through the event with more courage than before and to continue exploration into space. Ronald Reagan begins his speech by addressing the nation and stating how he is exempting the State of the Union
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.
He states that “we’ll continue our quest in space.” He states that the disaster is not an end, but a beginning. He uses concrete details to inspire and persuade his audience. “There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space.” Reagan adds that he wishes he could talk to all the people of NASA and show his gratitude towards them.