Ronald Reagan Pathos

In his persuasive essay “Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation”, former president Ronald Reagan advocates for the overturning of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court ruling that occurred a decade prior to the essay’s publication in the spring of 1983. This controversial case, whose ruling continues to be a hot topic in current political and ethical debates, permitted abortion on a federal level through all nine months of pregnancy. Nearly halfway through his first term of presidency in 1983, Reagan had vastly improved the nation’s economic situation, allowing the country entered a period of economic prosperity (“Ronald”). This allowed Reagan to dedicate more time to actively participating in the pro-life movement, as he strongly believed that …show more content…
The focus of this analysis will then be how Reagan’s invoking of pathos allows him to successfully persuade his primary audience. The logical fallacies that materialize from Reagan’s arguments will be assessed and then compared to the pathos that result from these fallacies to show how pathos is ultimately more compelling to this particular primary audience than logos. Reagan’s use of language will be evaluated in order to demonstrate how the strength of a word triumphs the ambiguity of its societal definition in terms of invoking pathos. This analysis will also examine how Reagan’s incorporation of credible historical figures is used to develop the ethos of his argument as well as to continue establishing its pathos. Lastly, the kairos of Reagan’s essay will be analyzed throughout this essay to demonstrate how the pathos of his argument is effective in persuading his primary audience both at the time of the essay’s publication as well as in the present. The efficacy of Reagan’s essay is important because it determines how persuasive and convincing his argument is in advocating for the abolishment of legalized abortion, a topic that was highly controversial during his presidency and that is still an extremely prevalent issue