Following the death of former United States president Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, a close friend of Reagan’s and the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, delivered a speech in his honor. In her eulogy to the American people, Thatcher uses selection of detail, syntax, anecdotal evidence, and appeals to patriotism to express President Reagan’s good character throughout his term and the way his actions have positively affected America. Thatcher strategically places important details of President Reagan’s term and character in certain sections of her eulogy to him. Beginning her speech with a mention of Reagan being “a great president, a great American, and a great man” first introduces her personal thoughts towards Reagan, while also promoting his good character to the audience through repetition and emphasis on the word “great”. Additionally, Thatcher immediately mentions the amazing and influential work done by Reagan during his presidency, referring to his job as “daunting”. She follows with details of Reagan mending America’s “wounded spirit” and a brief explanation of his role in the Cold War as he “won converts…from the very heart of the [Soviet Union]”. After showing the more serious and patriotic side of Reagan, Thatcher …show more content…
By including such refutations, Thatcher proves the influence of Reagan while emphasizing the amount of work Reagan has done for the country. Later in the eulogy, Thatcher similarly applies this technique to describe the natural way that Reagan aided his country with mention of the war, stating that “when his allies came under Soviet or domestic pressure, they could look confidently to Washington”. The continues use of the technique of contrast through anaphora helps Thatcher compare Reagan to other people around the world and helps Americans know that Reagan is dependable and