ipl-logo

Ronald Reagan Challenger Speech Analysis

1270 Words6 Pages

Although Ronald Reagan’s speech about the Challenger explosion was given during a time of great sorrow, the speech was successful for being a way to unite the country as one to deal with the loss as a whole, and to bear the weight of such a horrific tragedy together. With the Challenger disaster being the first one of the space program to have deaths in flight, the United States was completely shocked by the misfortune of the shuttle. Ronald Reagan’s speech on the disaster was a way to have the nation not blame the space program for the deaths of the astronauts, but a way to have the nation face the disaster with strength and push through the event with more courage than before and to continue exploration into space. Ronald Reagan begins his speech by addressing the nation and stating how he is exempting the State of the Union …show more content…

Reagan even goes to compare the Challenger Seven to the explorer Sir Francis Drake. Reagan states that on the day three hundred ninety years ago, Sir Francis Drake died aboard a ship doing what he was best at. Reagan also even goes to say how a historian once said, “He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it” and that the Challenger Seven were just like Sir Francis Drake and how their dedication to what they were best at was complete now. All of this is an attempt by Reagan to once again rationalize the deaths of the seven so that they are not mourned as much as they are honored for their sacrifice. He also is saying all of this so that it is seen that the Challenger Seven died doing that they were best at, not with something they were not willing to do even with the risk of death present. All of these statements by Reagan were working coherently to bring the nation together, to mourn the loss, but also to honor the seven who were brave enough to do what no other human was willing to

Show More
Related
873 Words | 4 Pages

His inclusion of analogies and emotional appeals, combined with his strong sense of authority, brings his arguments into focus and gives them a punch. His power in delivering this speech quite possibly kept America looking towards the stars and propelled them into the next age of space exploration. President Reagan’s speech serves as a touching conclusion to a tragic event. Despite the terrible catastrophe, Reagan’s four-minute speech provided closure on the one-minute tragedy whose impact will be felt for

Read More
1123 Words | 5 Pages

In my opinion this helps comfort the families by informing them that we all stand with them One example of this is when Reagan says “But we feel the loss” in the fourth paragraph. Also Reagan strays away from the negative aspect of the disaster. The focus of staying positive provides a sense of purpose. Regan explains how the “seven” was full of courage and that they died doing what they

Read More
1002 Words | 5 Pages

This speech was intended to inform America of the Challenge disaster. Reagan used specific pronouns to address the audience. He focused a lot on the individuals that lost someone due to this dismal occurrence. One thing that he said specifically to those close to the astronauts was, “Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace” (3). He said this to honor the astronauts and explicate how wondrous the seven astronauts were.

Read More
922 Words | 4 Pages

(Dennis 714) By giving the members of the space shuttle crew a recognition as “pioneers”, the speech was poised for a smooth transition from its nature as sincere eulogy into a rhetorical work with a deliberative occasion. As soon as audience received a message implying that Challenger was a beginning instead of an end and how discovery has its risk, Ronald Reagan was in a good position to elaborate his objectives on the space program. Surely, the transition between the bad news and the new hope is one of the greatest features of the speech.

Read More
624 Words | 3 Pages

And they had that special Grace, that special spirit…” (Reagan pg 1). Referring the victim of the shuttle crash and raising them up for what they did for their country. I also use allusion to create a sense of similarity and a

Read More
879 Words | 4 Pages

The Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation by Franklin Delano Roosevelt was delivered on December 8, 1941 in Washington, D.C., a day after one of America’s largest tragedies. The bombing of Pearl Harbor is an event that is unforgettable and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech in response to this shocking attack is one of the most significant speeches of all time. The significance of the speech is the fact that America joined into the fighting of World War II, something the Americans didn’t want to do at first. This speech has a stark resemblance to the speech George W. Bush gave after the terrorist attacks of The Twin Towers in New York City, an equally shocking event. FDR’s use of ethos, logos, and pathos was extremely effective in spurring

Read More
1923 Words | 8 Pages

Francisco to raise awareness about AIDS/HIV, he later died of the deadly disease himself. On his tombstone he quotes “When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.” This quote has a very powerful hidden message behind it and shows the depth of how many lives were torn apart all because of one little part of themselves. All of these men and women were not only courageous in the fact that they put their lives on the line so Americans could have theirs, but also they were willing to sacrifice everything they had worked for by being themselves and not hiding who they are. Perry Watkins was an African American man in the army who dressed up in drag and performed shows for his comrades.

Read More
564 Words | 3 Pages

In his “The Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy” speech to the nation, George W. Bush utilized diction and tone, organization, and rhetorical appeals in order to accomplish his purpose of soothing a mourning nation while anticipating the future. First, the speaker uses word choice and tone in order to soothe the heroes’ families. For example, he says, “Because of their courage, and daring, and idealism, we will miss them all the more.” With this quote, Bush emphasizes on the fallen astronauts’ courage, creating a tone of grief in missing the heroes, but also a feeling of pride in that the deaths were not in vain. Also, he continually uses the word “we” creating unity within the nation during the grieving process.

Read More
580 Words | 3 Pages

His diction is very inclusive; he commences his speech with several uses of the words ‘we’ and ‘our’, which makes way for inclusivity. JFK is blurring the distinction between citizen and superior governor by including the people in his proclamation. While describing the hardships and challenges that the country is facing, Kennedy mentions how imperative the occasion is on a global level; in the midst of the Cold War, he reminds his audience of the importance of uniting. Through the use of the lexical field of danger — words such as: ‘defiance’, ‘serious’, ‘risk’, and ‘sacrifice’ — he creates a feeling of tension and urgency, and engages his audience to the concern. To conclude his speech, the President mentions self-guilt on the part of the country on how they had not displayed the “sense of business responsibility” that they should have, a rhetorical strategy that approximates the audience to the government.

Read More
272 Words | 2 Pages

“In his life time the great frontier were the oceans” (7). The symbolism expresses the passion Drake had for traveling on the sea. Which expresses the message to the nation that the seven astronauts passion was to seek adventures like the one they were loss on. Reagan’s use of rhetorical tools creates an optimistic thought to the all citizens that the seven astronauts passion and bravery has just started their

Read More
397 Words | 2 Pages

Franklin Roosevelt uses pathos, ethos and logos all throughout his speech. “December 7th 1941- A date that will live in infamy.” This quote will forever be in the minds of Americans. The bombing of the Pearl Harbor is an event no one can forget and neither is Franklin Roosevelt’s speech. It was this that brought American into World War Two and changed history.

Read More
439 Words | 2 Pages

Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of Great Britain, portrays her sorrow in the death of Ronald Reagan, and emphasizes the former president’s accomplishments. Thatcher utilizes cause and effect to show how Reagan prospered under immense pressure of the public. Thatcher projects her admiration for Reagan by using glittering diction. Lastly, she adds shift change to show the changing tone in her eulogy. Margaret Thatcher appeals to not only Americans but others who are grieving the loss of Reagan through the use of informal tone and Thatcher creates a sense of relief and praise for the deceased.

Read More
604 Words | 3 Pages

Since the Challenger crew were able to pursue their mission with courage, it is now the future generation’s turn to undertake where they have left off, and finish where they started. Overall, Ronald Reagan took advantage of his enormous platform to give a national eulogy in order to alleviate the pain caused by the loss of the Challenger seven. Raegen pursues his delivery with the use of rhetorical devices such as Pathos and Parataxis in order to appeal to his audience’s emotions while at the

Read More
1089 Words | 5 Pages

On January 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan gave his “First Inaugural Address” with the United States listening; some people were able to experience firsthand Ronald Reagan’s passion and views for our country, in Front of the Capitol Building, while others tuned in to listen on the momentous occasion. Ronald Reagan sets the stage for his presidency using logos through logical sentences that are meant to bring the audience a better perspective on his point of view. Diction was a key factor in showing Ronald Reagan’s strong sense of nationalism; he chose powerful, hopeful words and phrases that were intended to unify the people. He shows syntax through anaphora, repetition, and parallelism. By using these rhetorical devices, he states key phrases more than once to create an urgency and therefore grab listener’s attention.

Read More
850 Words | 4 Pages

He again appeals to the emotions of the listeners by stating that “we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much” (Reagan, 1986), “Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit to say, “”Give me a challenge and I’ll meet it with joy”” (Reagan, 1986), and “They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us” (Reagan, 1986). He expresses his mourning to the loved ones in order to show that he truly cares and that “we’re thinking about you so very much” (Reagan, 1986). Reagan conveys a touching tone that we feel the pain and sadness you do towards your loved

Read More

More about Ronald Reagan Challenger Speech Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document