Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! Such where the commanding words President Reagan spoke at the Brandenburg Gate to the Leaders and people of West Germany. Reagan dressy attire, dignitaries seated on the stage, members of the audience holding their respective countries flag shows how formal the event was. During the course of Reagan address, he competently used many high-flown techniques to persuade Mr. Gorbachev who was the leader of the Soviet Union. President Reagan acknowledged the Berliners by acting as a messenger. He established a connection of past and present references making Berliners believe that he understands their situations. “Every man is a German, separated from his fellow-man. Every man is
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.
June of 1987, U.S. President Ronald Regan traveled to West Berlin and gave a speech
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
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.
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
While in office Ronald Reagan had a disapproval rating that soared to 54% in 1983 (How the Presidents Stack Up). However, in 2001, his retrospective disapproval rating was a mere 27% (Newport). Often the focus of criticism while in office, Ronald Reagan has become known within the ranks of historians as one of the most influential American Presidents, ranking 10th in the Annual C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leaders in 2009 (C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership). Lauded as the “Great Communicator,” much has been said of Reagan and his oratorical skills, including his simplicity, clarity, and sincerity of speech (Thompson). While his speech at the Bradenburg Gate, with its famous line, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” has
Ronald Reagan 's speech at the Brandenburg gate was one of the most impactful and important speeches given during the cold war, and aided in the eventual downfall of the Soviet Union. Reagan begins his speech by addressing the people present and recognizing the “freedom” and “feeling of history” of the city of Berlin has. He makes his first reference to previous speakers by saying, “Twenty four years ago, President John F. Kennedy visited Berlin, and speaking to the people of this city and the world at the city hall. Well since then two other presidents have come, each in his turn to Berlin. And today, I, myself, make my second visit to your city,”( Reagan 361) Ronald Reagan adeptly utilizes Ethos Pathos and Logos in his Brandenburg Gate address, he attempts to sway the audience of the importance of success of the marshal plan and western values as a whole, and convince the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961.
Ronald Reagan was once said to be one of the most pronounced communicators; after reading this address, that statement is easily understood. After the end of the Nazi Regime and the end of World War II, Europe had been left in separated colonies dictated by politics. In turn, President Reagan hoped to create more democratic freedom in Eastern European Countries. On June 12th, 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood before the entire world and called on the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open the Brandenburg Gate. The “Address at Brandenburg Gate,” was one of President Reagans most note worthy addresses due to how well he persuaded the audience with his oral speech. The rhetor, Ronald Reagan, was determined to create a more carefree world, not only physically, but also economically and democratically. Reagan spoke in front of the Brandenburg Gate to capture the most caring part of the audience, as well as to the people of Germany and Gorbachev. All of the steps Reagan took to carefully help persuade the population of Berlin, Gorbachev, and the rest of Europe was to bring attention to the need for more freedom and democracy in both East and West Germany. The analysis of Reagan’s address reveals how influential his creation and execution of kairos was in order to persuade the audience in his favor, for more freedom. Reagan used several tactics to create the perfect kairos: he visually persuaded the audience with examples
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,
Reagan's infamous aggressive, but to-the-point rhetoric was both a positive and a negative in bringing about the demise of the Soviet Union. Combined with the massive arms race that Reagan had ignited (with the United States doing most of the racing), the president's harsh words scared Russian leaders of an eminent attack. Constantly referring to the USSR as an "evil empire," was somewhat counterproductive. But Reagan's challenging rhetoric served mostly as a positive factor in ending the Cold War. He was not one to beat around the bush, and demanded results. Perhaps his most famous line was when he went to Berlin and commanded, " Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Reagan also new that only taking the hard-line approach would not succeed in bringing about peace and he was willing to tone down the brashness of his remarks in return for results. This is most evident in his summit meetings
The speech, delivered about 100 yards from the Berlin Wall, marked Reagan's most prominent call. This speech called for the reunification of East and West Berlin. Reagan had much bravery to challenge Gorbachev and was considered a very bold move. Gorbachev was dared to take the Berlin Wall down!
Ronald Reagan, in his speech, (“Berlin Wall”, 1987), the former governor and President of the United States and at the time of the Cold War, “ the most magnetic public figure in the nation”(encyclopedia.com) elucidates to his audience the consequences of residing under the influence of the Soviet Union. Reagan supports his assertion through the use of various rhetorical devices to generate logos, ethos, and pathos. His purpose is to incite a feeling of an injustice done to the people of Berlin and Soviet Allies and to bring down the Berlin Wall as “the most visible symbol of the decades-long Cold War”(History.com) between the Americans and the Soviets during the Cold War. Reagan writes in perfervid tone generated toward the people of Berlin and other Soviet allies in hopes of bringing the Cold War to an end and it is reported by CBS News that he successfully “bolstered the morale of the pro-democracy movement in East Germany”(Brinkley).
At the time when tensions were high and the once divided people of Berlin were beginning to lose hope, Reagan was able to captivate millions and not only unite the Berliners but also the world.President Reagan was a man with strong beliefs that made his statements believable and logical.Claiming the benefits of living in a free, democratic country, Ronald Reagan uses pathos, logos and ethos to sympathize with the Berlin people.Given the time and place when the speech was given, Ronald Reagan took advantage to address the Berlin people of their misfortune and provided a sense of support and hope making his speech more monumental than what it already was. Ronald Reagan was naturally a good rhetoric; and he used his abilities to persuade the world of the injustice of the Berlin wall and win over the Berlin people. “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate” by Ronald Reagan was a powerful and compelling speech for its time and helped persuade the people to end communism and reunite the people of Germany.
“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.