TOW #3

Reagan's Challenger Address

On January 28th, 1986, the Challenger exploded in flight. President Ronald Reagan was given the responsibility of telling the nation what had happened instead of giving his State of the Union address. He begins the speech by saying, "Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss." It is important that he does because the use of 'we,' 'our,' and 'national loss' groups the entire country together, uniting everyone. This emphasizes the fact all of America is experiencing this tragedy together, and unifies the country as one.
Something else that Reagan does is appeal to pathos. He addresses "the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's take-off," and says, "the future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave." He uses this opportunity to try to empower the young children who were watching the as Challenger exploded. It shows that even in times of despair, our country is always advancing and we are a nation full of brave citizens. This helps to relieve some of the sadness that the Americans were feeling as they focus on the bright side of what had happened.
Reagan gives this speech because he wants to assure the country that we can get over obstacles such as these in the name of scientific advancement. He wants to prove to not only Americans, but to countries around the world that casualties like these will never stop us from improving and bettering ourselves. He does this well because of the way he unifies the country and appeals to pathos through his addressing the children of America.