On the 12th of June, 1987, President Ronald Reagan delivered a powerful and emotional speech in west Berlin, Germany. This speech was addressing the Berlin Wall, and all of the political issues that came with it. 26 years prior to Reagan’s speech, the Berlin wall was built to separate the communist East from the “Allied” west, this wall was extremely controversial and kept any people from leaving west Berlin without great difficulty. Reagan’s speech had immense impact on Berlin, 2 years after his speech, the Berlin Wall was taken down and both East and West Berliners couldn’t have been happier. Reagan successfully motivates his audience to continue their fight for freedom and unity by appealing to pathos using vivid imagery and contrasting
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He is empathetic when speaking about what his audience has been through. “I understand the pain of war and the fear of division”(Reagan). In this quote he is empathizing with the people of West Berlin, telling them that he understands and feels their pain. This tactic appeals to ethos and builds his credibility by showing his crowd that he is relatable and is an authority on his subject, since he has been through a similar situation. Because of his empathy, he was very effective in getting his point across and in motivating his onlookers to continue their …show more content…
This element of the speech is also an appeal to pathos, and helped to regain the hope and fire in the hearts of the people of West Berlin. Reagan said “we” when talking about the people of West Berlin, and East Berlin was referred to as “they.” As a result, his listeners felt more connected and closer to him. It also built his credibility by showing that he is an “equal”. Reagan’s use of “we” statements gave his speech more of a caring and convincing tone, and helped the audience to really connect with him.
Ronald Reagan’s ‘Tear Down this Wall” speech was an event that sparked a revolution of freedom and change in Berlin’s torn society. The meticulous placement of each rhetorical strategy used in his speech resulted in a powerful and historical speech that changed Germany forever. Through the use of vivid imagery and contrasting ideas of East and West, and his various appeals to ethos by using personal appeals and speaking German. These strategies all worked together to create a speech that changed the lives of a
He is empathetic when speaking about what his audience has been through. “I understand the pain of war and the fear of division”(Reagan). In this quote he is empathizing with the people of West Berlin, telling them that he understands and feels their pain. This tactic appeals to ethos and builds his credibility by showing his crowd that he is relatable and is an authority on his subject, since he has been through a similar situation. Because of his empathy, he was very effective in getting his point across and in motivating his onlookers to continue their …show more content…
This element of the speech is also an appeal to pathos, and helped to regain the hope and fire in the hearts of the people of West Berlin. Reagan said “we” when talking about the people of West Berlin, and East Berlin was referred to as “they.” As a result, his listeners felt more connected and closer to him. It also built his credibility by showing that he is an “equal”. Reagan’s use of “we” statements gave his speech more of a caring and convincing tone, and helped the audience to really connect with him.
Ronald Reagan’s ‘Tear Down this Wall” speech was an event that sparked a revolution of freedom and change in Berlin’s torn society. The meticulous placement of each rhetorical strategy used in his speech resulted in a powerful and historical speech that changed Germany forever. Through the use of vivid imagery and contrasting ideas of East and West, and his various appeals to ethos by using personal appeals and speaking German. These strategies all worked together to create a speech that changed the lives of a