Analysis of Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric in Challenger Speech

It’s 1986, and there had just been a great tragedy that defined the American Race for Space. Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger had occurred before the eyes of billions of Americans as they watched it on live TV. This day in January was supposed to be another one of those successes, instead the whole world watched as hopes and dreams exploded along with the challenger, resulting in major losses and grief with answers as to how it could’ve happened. President Ronald Reagan addresses the nation in a logical and emotional level to help insure connection, remorse and make sure americans got through the crisis strong.

January 28, seven bright and hopeful astronauts go into space in the space shuttle flight. By noon it became a whole different occasion. People across America were struggling with losses, more to those who saw it go down with their very own eyes. People started accusing and questioning things. They needed a leader to step up and address the nation on what had happened and what this really meant for the American future. President Ronald Reagan, whom was also very popular among the American people for his words and actions decided to step up. His speech connected with each American individual through emotion and making sure that it was important for them to see that space travel was risky and this is something that comes along in the package, but it wasn’t what they should be focusing on. He wanted to help the public grieve but also prepare them to move forward right after some time. In his speech he opened up by saying “Today is a day of mourning and remembering …we are pained to the core by the tragedy of the Shuttle Challenger”, telling the public that it was a time when everyone should feel the sadness to move on to the next step. Through the words he spoke or the expressions he made on his face shows that he was an American that had lost just like the person on the other side of the TV. Reagan presents the explosion in a way people can understand by stating it was a “loss” , “tragedy”, or an “accident”. I could tell his message was honest and came from his heart because his face showed heartbreak and that it was a tragedy to him as it was to the family of the seven who lost their lives. He talks about them to try and touch their emotions personally while shifting back to public by reminding them that this wasn’t the only time an astronauts lost their lives. He connects his reaction to what the public is feeling.

In his speech Reagan shows how exploring and experiencing new things is a risky thing and those who volunteered knew that. “..and perhaps we’ve forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle…were aware of the dangers, but overcame and did their jobs brilliantly”. He tells the school children that sometimes when people go off do do new things there is a chance that they are going to get hurt and then saying “ the future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted, it belongs to the brave”, it shows that he believes why people do risky things and if it’s worth it. This was not only to please the children but also their parents as well, this is so they have different ways they can view his message.

President Reagan’s goal was a way to connect directly to the American people by making it personal throughout the whole speech. He exclaimed that this tragic event not only affect the lives of the lost and their families but every American as well. He saw grief and wanted to show his as well to make it clear that his emotions were true and relatable while adding comfort by reassuring that life will go on and it will all go to normal again. Allowing the space program to go on with more volunteers reveals that they can improve and life moves on. “We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews…more volunteers, more civilians…nothing ends here…journeys continue.”

Closing the speech, he wants the audience to connect the risk they took with the chance of them getting hurt as they understood that very day, and to see that the astronauts would feel as though the risk was worth it. President Reagan takes a pause and then says a sentence that touched the nation even today. “ We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God’.” This showed a sense of imagery because it helped the public feel more at peace and let go. In my opinion, this speech was well delivered by a man who was well trusted by the public. It recognized the grief that the people felt, it helped them see that taking a risk can end up with someone getting hurt, but as Americans we do things that are difficult because of who we are.  

Works Cited

1. History.com Editors. (2010). Challenger Disaster. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/1980s/challenger-disaster
2. Reagan, R. (1986). Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Retrieved from https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/address-nation-explosion-space-shuttle-challenger
3. NASA. (n.d.). Space Shuttle Challenger. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/challenger/index.html
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