Pathos In Ronald Reagan's Challenger Address

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Challenger Address On January 28, 1986, the whole nation watched as the Challenger Shuttle broke up just after liftoff, killing the seven crew members that were aboard the shuttle. Ronald Reagan, who was to give the State of the Union address later that day, now had the difficult task of addressing the nation about the horrible tragedy that had just occurred. While trying to do this, Reagan was also trying to persuade America that they still needed to explore space, since America was still amidst the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Addressing a grieving nation is no easy task, but Reagan did so effectively in his speech through the use of his carefully selected diction, his use of pathos, and style. Ronald Reagan’s use of pathos was the most effective tactic that was used in this speech to make it successful. Since Reagan was addressing a tragedy that had just occurred, it was much easier to appeal to people’s emotions because people were still mourning over the incident. Right from the beginning of the speech, Reagan makes use of emotional appeal when he talks about how he won’t be giving the State of the Union address since that day should be for mourning and remembering (Reagan 1). He starts off his speech like this in order to let America know that the speech he is about to give will be sad and somber. Reagan then goes on to let the people of America …show more content…
Even though America had just experienced a tragedy that they had not experienced when it comes to space exploration, Ronald Reagan effectively inspires the people of America that they as a nation will bounce back stronger than ever from this tragedy. His speech to a grieving America effectively immortalizes the men and women that risked their lives for the advancement of mankind and instills hope, bravery, and courage in the children of America, the future of
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