Ronald Reagans Speech

Derek Dorman
Professor Kevin Jackson
English 102
12 February 2013
An Age of An Evil Empire: Ronald Reagan’s Response to the USSR
Rhetoric is as simple as persuasion in an essay, speech, or any other form of literature. In The Rhetoric & The Poetics of Aristotle, Aristotle quotes rhetoric in a common topic such as man. “It is absurd to hold that a man should be ashamed of an inability to defend himself with his limbs, but not ashamed of an inability to defend himself with speech and reason; for the use of rational speech is more distinctive of a human being than the use of his limbs,” (Good). This use of rhetoric or persuasion is literally seen every day and everywhere you look. Throughout history, famous literature, speeches, and other works of art have been known to show from little to a lot of rhetorical strategies/techniques. Take for example, the speech delivered by Martin Luther King Junior: I Have a Dream. Given on August 28, 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial, his speech contained many rhetorical strategies under categories such as ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos in a nutshell means credibility. Writers or those that deliver a speech display ethos by being respected, as well as trustworthy. The audience strives for that person delivering a speech to actually understand the topic he or she is expressing. Logos means how it sounds, logic. It is the use of appealing in intellect to an audience usually relying heavily on statistics and facts. Using a logical connection like this is used to support many positions. Lastly there is pathos. Pathos connects the audience on more of an emotional level. Speech makers usually connect through an audience with the use of pathos by communicating a story or values. Through the use of a story, the audience can connect more emotionally. On March 8th 1983, President Ronald Reagan traveled to Orlando, Florida. His audience was the National Association of Evangelicals with his speech titled Evil Empire. The 1980’s was a time the United States of America conflicted with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This conflict was otherwise known as the Cold War. Although it is mentioned as a war, the Cold War was a stalemate between the US and the USSR regarding political ideas. Enforcing liberty, justice, and freedom, the US saw the USSR as a rule of officials encouraging strict government. This speech called for a new insight regarding America’s foreign policy in Europe. His famous phrase “an evil empire” explicitly refers to the Soviet Union throughout the entire speech as he describes America being involved in control of nuclear weapons. As well as using that explicit term, Reagan moves onto more of a biblical terminology; “morality trumps privacy and the Supreme Being trumps the Supreme Court.” Despite his audience being the National Association of Evangelicals, Reagan used those terms because he was a man of religion. Later on down the speech, he describes a story of a man having two daughters die rather than developing under a communistic government without a God. The audience not only included the religious Evangelicals, but it also included the United States. President Reagan addresses the whole nation of the United States on the issue of the USSR’s involvement in the Cold War. It was to boost the morale of citizens everywhere in the United States in more of a religious manner than that of brutality and revenge. It also assured the morale and emotions of military personal everywhere as they were always on their toes in a response to the USSR. This speech wasn’t built on statistics, facts, or opinions, but rather a belief in God, and a belief in the democracy of America. According to a newspaper titled The Morning Call, “Reagan was thwarted on at least one earlier occasion from using the same blunt, anti-communist phrases,” (Warner). The President of the United States would soon be criticized after his speech for the usage of harsh words toward the Soviet Union such as, “evil empire.”
Throughout the entire speech spoken by Ronald Reagan, there are a few sections that really stand out to the audience. For example, in the 4th paragraph President Reagan opens up his speech by appealing to the audience with a joke. “The other day in the East Room of the White House at a meeting there, someone asked me whether I was aware of all the people out there who were praying for the President. And I, had to say, “Yes, I am. I’ve felt it. I believe in intercessionary prayer.” But I couldn’t help but say to that questioner after he’d asked the question that–or at least say to them that if sometimes when he was praying he got a busy signal, it was just me in there ahead of him. I think I understand how Abraham Lincoln felt when he said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” This is effective to the audience in a rhetoric strategy of pathos because not only does it make the audience laugh, but the speaker is connecting both parties of politicians and religious figures. Further on throughout the speech, our speaker President Reagan actually gets to the main idea/thesis of his speech. Found in paragraph 41 and 42, he states that a “freeze” on the USSR’s military would be a benefit for them. “I would agree to a freeze if only we could freeze the Soviets’ global desire. A freeze at current levels of weapons would remove any incentive for the Soviets to negotiate seriously in Geneva and virtually end our chances to achieve the major arms reductions which we have proposed. …“A freeze would reward the Soviet Union for its enormous and unparalleled military buildup. It would prevent the essential and long overdue modernization of United States and allied defenses and would leave our aging forces increasingly vulnerable. Such a major effort would divert us completely from our current negotiations on achieving substantial reductions.” Lastly in paragraph 53, President Reagan bashes the USSR’s whole concept idea on communism. “I believe we shall rise to the challenge. I believe that communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last–last pages even now are being written. I believe this because the source of our strength in the quest for human freedom is not material, but spiritual. And because it knows no limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave their fellow man…” This displays Reagan’s usage of ethos; credibility and authority. He was the President at the time of this crisis and he stood as the ultimate authority in any military manner, or foreign relations. President Reagan’s speech on the USSR titled An Evil Empire showed the world that the United States would not take a threat so easily. This threat wasn’t taken lightly and it turned into a conflict known as the Cold War. His speech consisted of many rhetorical strategies such as logos, pathos, and ethos. Each one of these related to the audience in a better understanding of what was being said at the time.

Works Cited Page
Good Reads Inc. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1825769-the-rhetoric-the-poetics Warner, Frank. “New World Order.” The Morning Call Newspaper Company 5 March. 2000: PA ed.: A1 Print

Cited: Page Good Reads Inc. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1825769-the-rhetoric-the-poetics Warner, Frank. “New World Order.” The Morning Call Newspaper Company 5 March. 2000: PA ed.: A1 Print