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. In lines one and two, Thatcher refers to the …show more content…
In lines 30 through 39 Thatcher retells the views of others and what they expected of Reagan, then counters them with Reagan’s responses. She remarks that “Others hoped, at best, for an uneasy cohabitation with the Soviet Union. He won the Cold War” (35-6). This strategy of recounting what was expected or thought and providing evidence as to how these standards were met with flying colors serves the purpose of crediting Reagan as a great president. Thatcher also uses this strategy in the statements “Others saw only limits to growth. He transformed a stagnant economy into an engine of opportunity” (33-4) in order to again show how Reagan did more than he was asked and to prove that his actions reflected the will and benefit of the people. Thatcher uses an antithesis approach alongside other rhetorical strategies to project her ideas and image of Ronald Reagan onto the public, strengthening her argument that they “have lost a great president”