For this final paper, we were to analyze a particular type or genre of speech. Unlike the first speech analysis assignment, this time around, it didn’t take me long enough to decide which one of the “top 100” speeches to choose from. The speech that stood out for me was “The Speech at the Brandenburg Gate” by then-President Ronald Reagan. First, I knew right away, that I was going to select President Ronald Reagan as my best speaker. After all, President Ronald Reagan, with his upbeat and inspirational speeches became known as “The Great Communicator”. Secondly, the speech that he gave at the Brandenburg Gate to me, presented itself to be the perfect combination – a great speaker and the speech that instigated the bringing down of the Berlin wall. Additionally, the event was especially near and dear to my heart, and needless to say, it had a personal relevance in my life.
At that time, I was living in Germany (West) when this historical speech was given by President Reagan, as well as witnessing the eventual tearing down of the wall. It was indeed a historical event that I will never forget. It was, “The Berlin Wall saga,” the wall which divided the German capital since 1961 – was a physical and metaphorical symbol of the ideological and economic differences that separated the East and the West (Kang, I. 2017). And, I was lucky enough to witness it all from the beginning all the way to the end. In fact, it was quite a surreal experience, when I was finally able to visit
The persuasive speech Tear Down this Wall, written by President Ronald Reagan, used logos and pathos to effectively convince the Soviet Union to break down the barrier between East and West Germany. To start, Reagan utilized logos while delivering his plausible address. The author stated the vital fact that “East and West do not mistrust each other because we are armed; we are armed because we mistrust each other” (Reagan). This statement helped support the fact that the two countries had to overcome their several differences to be able to reunite Germany once again. Reagan urged the Soviets to do their part in bringing the divider down in that specific section. The other device Reagan used was pathos to give the speech more meaning and depth.
“Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott, is a hilarious must read for junior high school students and any other aspiring writers. Her essay inspires comfort and confidence in writing a first draft. It concretes that all writers experience the “shitty” first draft. Anne Lamott wrote this instructional information in 1995, but it is timeless information. She blows the idea of writing an immaculate first draft out of the water. Anne supports the idea that bad first drafts will almost always lead to better second, third and final drafts. She symbolizes the first draft to be like a child. Where you put all your thoughts and emotions out there in words on paper, you go all over the place, you say all kinds of ridiculous things, and all with the
A college education is valuable and its quality is of the highest importance to most Americans. In his essay, “On the Uses of a Liberal Education: As Lite Entertainment for Bored College Students,” Mark Edmundson utilizes ethos, pathos, and logos to effectively deliver his argument that the current educational system, especially in college, revolves around consumerism which in turn has negatively impacted students, teachers, and universities in general. However, although Edmundson presents an overall logically sound argument, there are few instances throughout the article that may hinder the reliability of his claims to the audience.
In President Reagan’s speech regarding the Berlin wall entitled “Address at Brandenburg Gate” delivered on June 12th, 1987, Reagan takes the position as the rhetor with the sole purpose of convincing the city of Berlin to unite and get rid of the wall separating the city in two. The wall is described by Reagan multiple times and is described to be both a physical and non-physical wall. Most of the city is separated by the physical wall and those that aren’t are heavily guarded and prevent travel to the other side. The discourse was intended to not only be heard by the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, but by most of Europe and North America. The exigency in Reagan’s
Ronald Reagan, the fortieth president of the United States, was formerly an actor and a politician. While studying economics and sociology in college, he acted in school plays and became a radio sports announcer, and from that, he began starring in movies which gave him a lot of popularity, leading to becoming elected in the elections. One of his most notable speeches is "Tear Down This Wall", Reagan addressed it the Brandenburg Gate in Germany on June 12, 1987, in which he was calling out the Soviet Union leader, Mr. Gorbachev, asking him to "tear down the wall" referring to the Berlin wall. He addressed this speech to Mr. Gorbachev aspiring to seek peace and prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe. In this speech, the appeal of pathos is used to emotionally move the audience to create excitement, logos in the form of facts to make reasonable arguments and ethos to show how trustworthy he is.
In the essay, “What You Eat is Your Business”, Radley Balko writes to tell his audience about how the government is trying to control people’s health and eating habits by restricting food, taxing high calorie food, and considering menu labeling. Balko includes in his essay that government restricting diets and having socialist insurance is not helping the obesity problem, but it is only making it worse because it not allowing people to take their health in to their own hands so they have no drive to lose weight or eat healthy. In his essay, Balko is targeting society, including those who may be obese, he is trying to show them that the laws our
Reagan’s ‘Tear Down the Wall’ speech – Ronald Reagan’s “Tear Down the Wall” speech commanded Mikhail Gorbachev to dismantle the Berlin Wall, which divided Berlin between the Capitalist West and Communist East. A point of comparison that can be drawn between this speech and another is Booker T. Washington’s Alabama Exposition Address. In Washington’s speech, he discusses how African Americans would be dedicated workers alongside whites if whites “cast down” their buckets to African Americans to help them to find work. In Washington’s mind, allowing African Americans to have economic prosperity would, in turn, allow them to finally be free. This is similar to the fall of the
In the speech “Tear Down this Wall”, the author, Peter Robinson a speechwriter for the White House, attempts to end the divide between East and West Berlin. Robinson wrote the speech; however, former President Ronald Reagan brought it to life when he delivered the speech in West Berlin in June of 1987. Reagan presented this speech in a calm yet persuasive manner, ultimately winning over his immediate Berlin audience. President Reagan’s speech did not just reach Berlin. It was broadcasted all over from Western Europe to North America resulting in Reagan’s tremendous contributions to ending the Cold War. In order to persuade his audience, Reagan uses various rhetorical tools such as suggestions of hope, liberty, and freedom to grab the alienated German forces and reunite the opposing sides.
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" n June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan spoke the people of West Berlin at the base of the Brandenburg Gate, near the Berlin wall. Due to the amplification system being used, the President's words could also be heard on the Eastern (Communist-controlled) side of the wall. The address Reagan delivered that day is considered by many to have affirmed the beginning of the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism. On Nov. 9-11, 1989, the people of a free Berlin tore down that wall. The tearing of the wall represting the reuniting of Germany.
In 1963, John F Kennedy visited the city, to give a speech that would be recorded as one the most symbolic and moving speech for years to come. This speech was to show and tell the USSR the determination of the West Berliners to remain how they are, which was to stay non-communist.
Pathos was used prominently in the speech to connect Reagan with the audience and garner their support. Reagan established a relationship with the audience by saying ¨..Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin...¨ (translation: ¨I still have a suitcase in Berlin¨ )the suitcase symbolizes the President´s personal connection to the city, and in turn a connection with the people. Reagan said ¨From the Baltic, south, those barriers cut across Germany in a gash of barbed wire, concrete, dog runs, and guard towers.¨ The vivid diction used to describe the wall evoked intense emotions from the audience including anger and sadness as it reminded them of the foreboding obstacle that kept them from their family on the other side. Reagan´s solution to the wall
In the year 1987, June 12th at Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin Germany, President Ronald Reagan gave one of the most memorable speeches (Berlin Wall) a president has given. The Berlin Wall speech changed Berlin completely, it reunited east and west berlin back together. The speech itself was intended for the people but most importantly it was meant for the soviet union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, President Ronald Reagan was an American Politician and also was an actor that appeared in over 50 films. This shows that even though he was our president he had a chose to visit berlin or not and give a speech that later on caused the wall to fall. To achieve this speech Ronald Reagan used rhetorical devices, such as Ethos, Rhetorical Question, Tone,
Standing resolutely at the Brandenburg Gate, President Reagan begins his speech by defining his audience and drawing them in using patriotic appeals to unite the “American Presidents” (Reagan) and “Berliners” (Reagan) which served to increase his pathos and emotion in the audience. For instance, Reagan, speaking to the people, claims that he came to “join your fellow countrymen in the west, in this firm, this unalterable belief” (Reagan) establishing a companionship with the Berliners, “... Es gibt nur ein Berlin. [There is only one
“Tear down this wall!” these were the inspiring and captivating words that came out of President Ronald Reagan’s speech at the Berlin Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987. Speaking to the Soviet leader Mikahil Gorbachev, Reagan was calling for the unification of East and West Germany. With the destruction of the wall, he believed it would bring not only Germany prosperity, but The Soviet Union as well. During this speech, President Reagan brings forth the benefits of tearing down the wall and unifying Germany once again. He introduces his strategies to create freedom, economic prosperity, and free trade to stop Soviet Expansion. On this day, President Ronald Reagan’s speech was classified as a heroic event. Why? He challenged the Soviet leader like no other president had before.
President Ronald Reagan was known to be a very good communicator also an excellent rhetorician, during the time of this speech also he was in his second term of presidency which he had won by a landslide. This had shown that Reagan wasn’t just the leader of the free world but he was good at what he did, therefore the West Germans believed in what he could do for them. President Reagan had given the West Germans hope for something better to happen, they trusted him to help them succeed. They looked to him for help and for an answer which in the end Reagan gave them both.