Matthew Morgan

Mrs. Leslie Garber

October 12, 2019
Composition 1
Ronald Reagan’s Challenger Speech

Rhetorical Analysis

The subject is the Challenger Explosion, and Ronald Reagan’s thoughts on the current

situation. The speech was given on January 28, 1986, and was given after the space shuttle

known as the Challenger exploded. Originally, the president was going to address the state of

the union, although he changed his plans after the tragedy. The author did this because it was

his duty as president to address this. After a discussion with his aides, he postponed his state of

the union speech and gave one on the challenger instead. A few days later, he also attended

the memorial service at the space center. I personally think that the speech was specifically

written for the schoolchildren watching the launch, and the families of the astronauts. This is

because he is in part, as president, responsible, so he had the speech written immediately in

order to present it. He also directly addresses the school children in a part of the speech, and

explains about the mortality of man. He was addressing the citizens of the united states, so he

was also most likely addressing the American people in general. The purpose is to comfort and

encourage the nation to move forward to prosperity and greatness. Its clear he’s trying to spark

a response in people, and appeals towards one’s sense of emotion, or their ethos. The speaker,

Ronald Reagan, is the head of the nation. We care because he is the president of the united

states. This position automatically brings respect and authority onto him, and forces one’s

attention to him. His attitude towards the subject of the speech is mournful, and somewhat

sad. At the same time, he sounds hopeful for the future, and encourages the nation to be
Matthew Morgan
Mrs. Leslie Garber
October 12, 2019
Composition 1
prepared to move forward. His attitude towards the audience is the same, and he wants people

to not be discouraged by the event, and move forward for more achievements for the nation.

This essay will be analyzing specific elements of this speech, those being rhetoric terms such as

his use of Ethos, Pathos, and the Strong Diction used.

Ronald Reagan makes strong usage of Pathos throughout his speech, in order to rally

the sympathy of America. And he does this extensively throughout the speech. This is what

makes his speech stand out. Emotions are an inevitability, as this is a speech about death, and

the president has to respond to the heightened feelings and emotions the country is going

through. He has to acknowledge the lost lives of the astronauts, and Reagan discusses it calmly

and directly. This is not done to focus on the sorrow, but rather to redirect it towards a

celebration of their lives. To the audience’s perspective throughout the speech, Reagan isn’t

talking about a set of dead astronauts: rather, he’s talking as if they were American heroes. This

isn’t to rationalize their deaths and make them pointless, but to make sense of their deaths and

view them from the perspective future generations would view them in. He makes it about the

future, and how the Challenger victims will become apart of human history. His message is that

they were sacrifices, for a hope of a better future.

Another aspect of the address is Reagan’s appeals to pathos. He is, very clearly, dealing

with a situation involving emotions. He wants to achieve his goals, and to do that, he needs to

create a feeling of unity and release amongst the American people. In addition to his appeal

towards human ethics, He also uses many emotional appeals, drawing on various groups of

people to make his point. He also states that the astronauts aboard were all fantastic people
Matthew Morgan
Mrs. Leslie Garber
October 12, 2019
Composition 1
who deserve to be remembered, and that we will forge on, and not let the space program end

just yet. He proves these points throughout his address, through his eulogy and address to the

families, he shows the character of those men and women, and proves the pints he hopes to

instill. He states that although this is a setback, it is just the beginning and that we must

continue forward. This use of Pathos helps clutch onto the heartstrings of Americans. Reagans

address truly does reach all his goals and proves them as well.

Most importantly was his diction, or the word choices he utilized. In the first paragraph,

Reagan mentions that he is “pained to the core”, and uses this among other powerful words to

instill his point across. He then, later on, names each crewmember and praises them for their

courage and tenacity, and calls us to national mourning. He then narrows his focus to the most

affected sub-audience: the families of the fallen. He mentions how it would be inappropriate

for him to suggest how they feel, and offers tangible words of praise like “daring,” “brave,”

“special grace,” and “special spirit.” . He then returns attention to the general audience, talking

about the scientific aspects of the tragedy, before mentioning the crews place in history,

referring to them as “pioneers”. His next audience are the school children who were watching

the tragedy. He then, momentarily, takes on the tone of an empathizing parent, and explain

how painful things like this can happen at times. Towards the end, he gives a direct address

towards NASA, and gives them needed encouragement, using the powerful phrase, “We share

it” when referring to their anguish.

To conclude, Ronald Reagan’s Speech after the challenger was an excellently given

speech, that makes fantastic use of various types of rhetoric. In doing so, he creates an
Matthew Morgan
Mrs. Leslie Garber
October 12, 2019
Composition 1
eloquent and powerful moment. These being Pathos, Ethos, and Diction. These are used to grip

the audiences of America, and encourage them forwards a new path.

Matthew Morgan
Mrs. Leslie Garber
October 12, 2019
Composition 1
Sources

Durate, Nancy. “What Made the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Speech So
Effective?” Duarte, 2 Aug. 2018,
www.duarte.com/presentation-skills-resources/remembering-the-challenger-and-one-of-
historys-greatest-speeches/.

Fong, K J. “Risk Management, NASA, and the National Health Service: Lessons We Should
Learn.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 July 2010,
academic.oup.com/bja/article/105/1/6/308528.

“Rhetorical Analysis Essay Draft.” Rhetoric and Civic Life Blog, 10 Oct. 2013,
sites.psu.edu/richmondrclblog/2013/10/10/rhetorical-analysis-essay-draft/.