More handpicked essays just for you.
Ronald reagan speech on challenger disaster
Speech on the Challenger Disaster, Ronald Reagan, January 28, 1986
Ronald reagan challenger disaster speech
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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.
Throughout his speech the president continues to talk to the families specifically and the entire nation, “we cannot bear as you do”. He is indicating that no matter how mourning the nation feels, the ultimate pain that is inflicted
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.
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
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.
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.
Analyzing Challenger’s Address Delivered on January 28, 1986, Ronald Reagan’s speech addressing the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was a plausible proof of the possibility to communicate various ideas during a tough situation effectively and efficiently. In a speech that lasted less than five minutes, Ronald Reagan managed to express his thoughts verbally and attempt to persuade his audience through an eulogy, a speech characterized by its epideictic occassion, that had been infused with a deliberative content that did not conflict with the core of the speech. Before one can analyze the details of Ronald Reagan’s speech, understanding the purpose behind the creation of the speech might be useful for understanding the context of the speech as a whole. Based on the speech how it relates to common speech purposes
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, “...
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
Reagan starts off by mentioning that he was planning on delivering the State of the Union Address, but that the disaster had taken place. He lets the country know that he and his wife are deeply grieved by the tragedy. He appeals to the audience’s emotions stating that “Nancy and I are pained to the core by
In his “The Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy” speech to the nation, George W. Bush utilized diction and tone, organization, and rhetorical appeals in order to accomplish his purpose of soothing a mourning nation while anticipating the future. First, the speaker uses word choice and tone in order to soothe the heroes’ families. For example, he says, “Because of their courage, and daring, and idealism, we will miss them all the more.” With this quote, Bush emphasizes on the fallen astronauts’ courage, creating a tone of grief in missing the heroes, but also a feeling of pride in that the deaths were not in vain. Also, he continually uses the word “we” creating unity within the nation during the grieving process.
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.
In his emotionally inspiring speech, “Shuttle Challenger Address,” Ronald Reagan expresses his deepest condolences to the people most affected by the Challenger accident. He advances his speech with a gentle yet strong willed facade in order to inspire the future generations of astronauts to not let this tragedy affect their future endeavors. Raegen then briefly puts his presidential status aside in order to further express the depth of his pain, not only at a presidential level, but as an American citizen concerned for the well being of his country. Raegen applies different types of rhetorical devices in order to emotionally appeal to the people most affected by the accident, while at the same time encourage the general public to not let this
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 brings us together in this sorrowful time in order to remember those who died because “We mourn seven heroes” (Reagan, 1986) and “We mourn their loss as a nation together” (Reagan, 1986). The President’s loss of emotions creates an assuring tone that
