Ronald Reagan Speech Analysis

In the evening of January 28, 1986, the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, was scheduled to report on the state of the union, but instead addressed a tragedy that took place earlier that morning. The space shuttle Challenger, which took off from Florida, engulfed into flames only seventy three seconds after it had taken off, leaving America heartbroken,with no survivors. The scene was being broadcast live all over the nation, as they witnessed the death of seven heroes. With time ticking, and American’s sitting at the edge of their seats, Peggy Noonan wrote the president’s speech. Within this speech, he addressed the audience using the pathos and ethos appeals to achieve his purpose of resting the hearts of Americans everywhere, without patronization. President Reagan

Knowledgeable of his audience and being mindful that Americans across the nation are watching him being broadcasted, Reagan delivers his address in the oval office, with personal pictures of his family directly behind him. “Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy,” in his first few lines of his speech, Reagan and his wife empathize with the nation over the loss of the seven heroes. He goes more in depth lising off the names of each casualty, further personalizing his speech to those families and loved ones who were affected by the tragedy. Reagan intrigues his audience to continue listening by declaring how “daring and brave” those heroes were. The president continues to praise them and say “they wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.” Sharing this line with the audience creates a nice transition from mourning over the loss, to the bright side of things of which is the cause they died