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Rhetorical Analysis Of The Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion

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On January 28, 1986, President Ronald Reagan gave a heartfelt speech about the Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion. This speech would be consider an inspirational speech because President Reagan wanted to calm and sooth the citizens of the United State after a few hours of this great tragedy. On the morning of January 28, 1986, the American Space Shuttle Challenger exploded upon 73 seconds liftoff on live television to all who was tuned in to watch the takeoff. This disaster killed all seven astronauts aboard: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. According to the website history.com, due to the weather (cold temperature) on the morning of the launch, the two rubber …show more content…

His tone and the way he spoke about seven fallen astronauts showed how much he cared and was deeply sadden by this tragedy. As I analysis the text of the speech, it shows a deeper meaning of empathy through the rhetorical devices and techniques he uses to capture the audiences.
In the first paragraph, President Reagan addresses the nation of something terrible has happen. He uses the words “mourning and remembering” to show that this unfortunate loss will always be remembered in the American history. By mentioning his wife’s name instead of calling her the First Lady and by saying, “We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country”, shows that the grief is shared on both a national and personal level. President Reagan made connections with the American people by saying “we” instead of saying “I” or “The President.” These connections are seen throughout his …show more content…

He addresses the schoolchildren who watched this disaster and said, “It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery.” He uses simple and direct language and many emotion words such as “brave” and “future” to help the young to understand this tragedy. His tone began to change in the sixth paragraph when he said, “We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public.” During this great disaster, the United States and USSR were at war (Cold War); so he said this to build American pride even in a public failure. It also shows that we are not defeated. President Reagan also reassure the people who work for NASA/Space Program that they would not lose their job/future. In the seven paragraph, he uses a historical reference, which is Sir Francis Drake, to make a connection from the past to the future. He uses emotional words such as “Dedication” and “Complete” to bring closure and meaning to the lost

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