Rhetorical Analysis Of Margaret Thatcher's Eulogy

Margaret Thatcher was an earlier Prime Minister of Great Britain. On June 11, 2004, she delivered a eulogy to the people of America regarding Ronald Regan. Regan was the President of the United States for 8 years, and Margaret expresses that she worked closely with Regan. Throughout the eulogy Thatcher dwells on not only Regan’s accomplishments, but she expands into his characteristics that helped him lead the country of America. The eulogy contains various rhetorical devices that help Thatcher communicate her message. For instance, pathos is the first device Thatcher uses. Margaret says, “We have lost a great president, a great American, and a great man, and I have lost a dear friend” (Thatcher 2). Margaret’s first statement identifies the intended audience by her use of personal pronouns. For instance, “we” is used in this message to connect the speaker to the audience. Thatcher is meticulously searching for that connection to the reader, but along with that she is also displaying pathos. The emotion intended to be conveyed is grief and sadness. Another example of pathos can be found further into the eulogy.

Her relationship with Regan is as, “As prime minister, I worked closely with Ronald Regan (Thatcher 55). She goes on to describe that before, during, and even after Regan’s presidency, they stayed in contact. After this, Margaret tells the audience about who Regan was and what he was like. In short, Regan was firm in his beliefs, confident with his plans, and he resulted in much success and advance to the fall of communism. The audience can trust the words of Margaret through ethos because she is accountable for knowing who Regan was. She also adds in, “...I’ve had time and cause to reflect on what made him a great president” (Thatcher 57). To expand her credibility, she went on to describe the true-hearted acts of Regan in his