Rhetorical Analysis Of Ronald Reagan's Speech At The Brandenburg Gate

In his speech at the Brandenburg Gate, President Ronald Reagan attempted to do something that seemed almost impossible at the time; unite Europe. He uses several words and phrases to support this analysis, such as: “To those listening throughout Eastern Europe, I extend my warmest greetings and the good will of the American people. To those listening in East Berlin, a special word: Although I cannot be with you, I address my remarks to you just as surely as to those standing here before me. For I join you, as I join your fellow countrymen in the West, in this firm, this unalterable belief: Es gibt nur ein Berlin.” (American Rhetoric) The last phrase that he spoke in German means “There is only one Berlin.” He says this specifically to try and show that no matter what the two different names of the cities are, East and West Berlin, there is still really only one Berlin. He also refers to the wall as a scar to all Germans but also to all Berliners. Ronald Reagan expressively shows that he wants the conflicts in Eastern Europe to stop. He is not subtle with his statements, he wants to be clear and to the point by showing that he wants change.

The change that pushed the people that he leads out of an era of depression. It is for that same reason that he longs for the same impacts with Germany. Since America survived a civil war, why couldn’t Germany do the same? The similarities between the two countries stemmed from years of hatred but resulted in countries of love and compassion. “In the West today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history.” He sees the progress made by Americans and wants Berliners and Germans to see that it is possible to unite back