Christian Kenney

Soc 1013
7/5/2016
Conway
President Reagan Space Challenger Tragedy Speech Rhetorical Criticism Essay
President Reagan was the nations 40th president, he served between 1981 and 1989
(Freidel and Sidey, 2006). The Republican president ran his campain on the idea of restoring the
great, confident roar of American progress and growth and optimism and he was said to remain
true to this idea throughout his term (Freidel and Sidey, 2006). On the evening of January 28th
1986, he was supposed to deliver his State of the Union Address but instead delivered a speech
about the horrific events that had taken place earlier that evening. On this day, The Challenger
space shuttle was scheduled for takeoff and with the whole country watching, the shuttle and the
Americans inside of it went up in flames. As devastating as this event was, President Reagan
established the importance of future endeavors and reminded the American people that
innovation was important so that these seven heroes didnt die in vain (Reagan, 1986). The
relationship between Reagan and the topic went hand in hand with his main goal as President
that he set during his campain.
This speech was given at a time where the country felt great sorrow after the events of earlier
that day. I chose this speech because it happened not long ago and it is still relative to my
generation. Even though we may not have been alive, our parents and grand-parents most
certainly were and many can tell us the emotion that they felt seeing it first-hand.
After witnessing these events he knew the impact it could have on the people in the country
and he addressed the families of the deceased, the NASA personnel, the children watching, and
the country as a whole with his speech. He spends time specifically recognizing all parties
involved and giving them as much relief as he can offer starting each section like for the

families of the seven, for the schoolchildren watching, every man and woman who works
for NASA or who worked on this mission and then delivering his statements to each (Reagan,
1986). This aspect is important to his audience and gave them a strong connection to his speech.
The purpose of the speech was to help America mourn the loss of the lives while explaining
the necessary dangers involved with exploring the unfamiliar. He delivered this speech knowing
America was devastated and angry at the thought of space exploration killing innocent lives and
with the tragedy happening in front of a national audience his task was nothing shy of difficult in
every sense of the word. Therefore central idea is to balance the emotions that the country is
feeling. He had to blend the importance of space exploration and the future of the program while
consoling his audience at the same time. He managed to convey both with a certain elegance that
brought the country together in this hard time. Supporting this main idea of addressing the nation
he had to give the American people a purpose to rally behind so he stated The future doesn't
belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the
future, and we'll continue to follow them. (Reagan, 1986). This statement gave the families
pride in their loved ones and was a great use of pathos or emotional appeal.
His introduction gave the purpose and set the tone. He explains the significance of history
and where this event plays a role in the current situation regarding space exploration. He uses the
body of the speech to speak to the individual parties affected by the tragedy and address the
nation about the unfortunate events. Breaking down his message in these parts gave specific
organization to the beginning of the speech and then set it up to give his input about the program
as a whole. Ive always had great faith in and respect for our space program he states this
and gives his support to the valiant efforts that are being made by the NASA program (Reagan,
1986). He finishes his speech with additional comments on the history for the exploration of new

frontiers and that the silver-lining of the horrific events could be that their death will not be in
vain, we will remember their dedication while continuing to progress. He quotes a historian
using lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it to connect with the dedication that the
fallen heroes all had for the exploration (Reagan, 1986). The organization of the speech along
with other elements of his delivery were all important to the overall effectiveness.
The vocal delivery is comforting when speaking to the families and children. He speaks with
pride and confidence when discussing the importance of the NASA program itself. The word
choice of fainthearted versus brave was used to pull America out of sadness and help the
healing process (Reagan, 1986). This word choice was appropriately either consoling or patriotic
during the different aspects of the speech. His transitions were smooth and he linked one idea
with the next, a specific example is he when moved from schoolchildren to the NASA employees
by hoping to inspire the children with talk of the future and that it belongs to the brave moving
into the events that happened did not diminish the efforts that were being made by NASA.
These statements coming right after one another further prove his point about being brave and
contributing even when something goes wrong you that it will be okay.
The physical delivery elements is very conservative in motion, eye contact was maintained
the entire time and a few head nods here and there were the only aspects of motion. This played
an important role in the delivery because it maintained the tone of the speech. Additional hand
gestures or dramatic movements would have given off a more excited, angry, or overly
passionate attribute to the tone that would not have been appropriate for the solemn or patriotic
tone that he was trying to convey. The camera did brief movements in and out of his face never
revealing too much so the audience stayed focus and did not get distracted by quick movements.

The speech helped America begin the mourning process but also how it was important to
keep moving forward. His approach was important because he had to address future policy
regarding space travel, something that was very new at the time. If he had been too emotional
when speaking towards the deaths it would have made the nation scared or too timid to venture
off into the unknown. This was given in a time where innovation was beginning to rise and he
did not want to hinder the growth.
Overall, the speech was very effective in achieving its purpose to address the nation in a time
of loss and heartache while still inspiring growth. He had little time to prepare but it was
important for him to really connect with the audience and give this speech out of the deepest
condolences. His use of language, timing and organization, and subtle movements were all
elements that helped convey the theme and contributed to the value that the speech still holds
today.

References
Freidel, Frank and Sidey, Hugh. (2006). The White House History and Grounds Presidents
Ronald Reagan. Washington, D.C
https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/ronaldreagan
Reagan, R. (1986, January 28). Tribute to the Challenger Astronauts. Washington, DC.
http://millercenter.org/president/speeches/speech-3413