Reagan's Rhetorical Analysis

Reagan starts off his Address to the Nation on Defense and National Security by introducing the subject of peace and National security as well as the importance of it. He claims that it is timely because it offers new hope for the children of the 21st century. Note that this is an example of pathos that Reagan uses to begin his method of swaying the audience. Reagan also claims that it is important because it is a decision the nation must make for themselves. He explains a solution he once and why it never came to pass to hint that even someone as influential as he was could not solve this alone.
A defense budget was submitted to congress by Reagan as a part of a careful long-term budget plan to make America strong again after years of neglect
He first clarifies what the defense debate is not about in order to clear up any confusion leading up to this point. It is explained that it’s not about spending arithmetic. The trouble with numbers is that they tell us little to nothing about the kind of defense program America needs or the benefits that come along with it. In other words, it’s not necessarily about the money. He then brings to light what has been lost in the debate which was the truth about how a defense debate is arrived at in actuality. It is not done by deciding to spend a certain amount of money but by considering what must be done to maintain peace and review all possible threats against our security.
The basis of defense policy in the United States is put into detail for the audience. The United States does not start fights or conflicts; in the contrary, we have sought to reduce war by seeking arms. This all goes into the special term deterrence—in other words, we maintain peace through our strengths; weakness only invites aggression. Though the strategy of deterrence has pretty much stayed the same over the years, the cost to maintain it has not. Reagan explains the different ways in which the cost has
and surround it with logic, numbers, and facts to justify what the audience feeling. He also does a good job of making the audience feel as though they are taking a part in a decision that could make or break a nation as a privilege. A good example of this is when he says “These pictures only tell a small part of the story. I wish I could show you more without compromising our most sensitive intelligence sources and methods.” This quote suggests that Reagan truly went out of his way, or made it seem as though, to bring this drastic photos to the forefront. However, these photos are not the only thing that came into full focus; Reagans true intentions did as