Rhetorical Analysis Of Christopher Reeve's 1996 Democratic National Convention Address

Reeve was born September 25, 1952, in New York City. He had a passion for acting and was well known for his role of superman. He was also very athletic and was active in many sports until May of 1995, when he had been thrown off a horse, landing head first. This completely immobilized the famous actor and lead him to be at constant risk for illnesses. This self-reliant man had to now completely depend on others for his most basic of needs and had to not only deal with the everyday struggles of his disability, but also the enormous expenses required to keep him alive. Reeve wanted more than this; he wanted a cure and he pursued this by becoming very active in raising money and awareness for disabilities of all kinds. In his 1996 Democratic National Convention Address, he uses rhetoric to appeal to the audience and persuade many officials to better fund research for cures to disabilities.

In his speech, Christopher Reeve uses logos to support his goal of more funding and awareness for a cure. At this time the Americans with Disabilities Act had been in place, but many

Pathos is used to persuade the audience that funding is necessary for the future of a more equal society. Reeve also makes the analogy that the entire population is a family to further unify the people in his audience. Christopher Reeve uses this unity again with a former president when he says, “President Roosevelt showed us that a man who could barely lift himself out of a wheelchair could still lift this nation out of despair.” He uses this example to show the audience that with the right mindset and tools (in this case funding), that miracles have the ability to happen and that it is well worth the cost to perform them. Pathos is used to plant inspiration and evoke a strong sense of hope within the audience. Reeve then uses this emotion to show them that they are capable of helping realize his