Ethos, Logos, Pathos, and The Challenger Reagan’s use of ethos, logos, and pathos condoles citizens across America. The President establishes his credibility and trustworthiness by sympathizing with the audience. At the beginning of the speech he states, “Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger” (Reagan 1). He then creates a feeling of togetherness by saying, “We mourn their loss as a nation together” (Reagan 2). He achieves the purpose of ethos by sharing his feelings with everyone. His use of pathos evokes emotions of sadness. He makes a statement towards the families of the astronauts: “But we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much” (Reagan 3). He then makes an effort to comfort the audience