Rhetorical Analysis of President Reagan’s Address on the Space Shuttle “challenger”

Rhetorical Analysis of President Reagan’s Address on the Space Shuttle “Challenger”

Hilma Samantha Vazquez Campero

COM 2113 03F Public Speaking

LesLeigh Conway

July 5, 2016

Rhetorical Analysis of President Reagan’s Address on the Space Shuttle “Challenger”

Almost thirty years and six months ago, one of the most shocking and heartbreaking tragedies in the history of modern United States, shook the world. The American shuttle orbiter Challenger, exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, killing every member of the crew while its launch was being broadcasted live on January the 28th of 1986. (Workman, 2016). That same evening, President Ronald Reagan, who was supposed to report on the state of the Union the same day, addressed American citizens through a one of the most heartfelt speeches ever given by an American President. (La Vone, 2014).

In his tribute to the Challenger astronauts, President Reagan communicated effectively to his audience that included the families of the fallen, the mourning country he was leading at the time; school-children of America, NASA and even America’s Cold War opponent and Space Race competitor, the Soviet Union. He spoke words of empathy, compassion, grief, and hope that his audience understood and still remembers to this day. (Nova PBS, 2016).

In the beginning of his speech, he starts off by showing that a major has happened and it is something so serious that the State of the Union address must be rescheduled and as the 40th President of the United States he uses ethos by reminding us that he has the authority to do so and the responsibility to address us, the American people. He also mentions his wife, Nancy Reagan, by her first name “Nancy and I are pained to the core […]” to project a relatable, personal and warm meaning and uses “we” to showcase his and the American people’s deep mourning and grief alongside the families of the deceased. “We know we share this pain with all the people of our country.”

He continues by referencing to a past tragedy in which three astronauts passed away during an accident on the ground. With this, he is grounding this recent event’s unique historical impact and showing that it has been a long time since another disaster has happened and also showing how usually successful the Space program has been. Also, the use of words and phrases full of emotion such as courage and referring to the crew as heroes, creates a sense of emotion or pathos, and again, saying how “we” as a nation are mourning their loss in a collective way. President Reagan carries on and refers to each and every one of the astronauts as individuals by their full names, giving each and every one of them their place as heroes. (Wall, 2016).