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Blake Sherrill

Professor Moore

ENGL 1302-08

19 February 2017

Ronald Reagans Challenger Speech

The Challenger space shuttle was launched on January 28, 1986. During its take off into

space, the space shuttle blew apart and killed all seven of the crewmembers. President Ronald

Reagan was scheduled to give a speech over the state of the Union that day but instead addressed

the nation over the tragedy that occurred. The word choice, the political position he holds, and

the use of examples in President Reagans Address to the Nation over the Challenger Tragedy

states that while it is important to mourn over the disaster, it is equally important to move

forward and not get discouraged by it.

President Reagan used specific words and phrases throughout the speech to reassure and

comfort the American people. When addressing the disaster, he stated, Nancy and I are pained

to the core by the tragedy (par. 2) to show genuine compassion and sorrow over the events that

took place. Instead of simply stating that he was sorry, he used a hyperbole to express the

sincerity of the statement. This is also seen when he word anguish instead of pain when speaking

to the men and women who work for NASA about the disaster. The words he uses, such as

mourning and anguish, hold significantly more meaning and power behind them, conveying pure

passion and emotion to the listener. President Reagan used the phrase and slipped the surly

bonds of earth to touch the face of God. (par. 11) to poetically describe and lessen the impact

of the tragedy. By bringing religion into the speech, he gave the people a form of reason and

explanation to help cope with the events.

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As President of the United States, Ronald Reagan not only had credibility to talk about

the subject, but he also had the attention of millions to listen to what he had to say. The American

people turned to him during the time of the tragedy for words of wisdom and to address the

event. He uses this to his advantage to unify the people that bring them together as a country to

mourn over the disaster together. He states, This is truly a national loss. (par. 2) to show that

while it affected the families and loved ones of the crewmembers, it was a pain that all of the

American people shared. In his speech, he addresses the children that watched the tragedy and

tells them that while it is hard to understand, it was a part of exploration. His words were

intended to be comforting and to ensure the children that despite the tragic event, America was

going to keep pushing forward. He states that regardless of the disaster earlier, the United States

will continue in the quest for space exploration. Not only his words, but his position to speak

about the subject as well, reassured the American people that this was just a bump in the road

and that we will push forward.

Throughout the speech, Ronald Reagan uses examples to put the situation into context

and to emphasize his points. He gives an example of a disaster that happened nineteen years

before the Challenger incident to show how devastating the current event is. He informs the

public that while this wasnt the first accident, it was the first one to happen during flight. He

states this not to scare or reduce the impact of the Challenger tragedy, but to show how real the

dangers are and the courage it took to become an astronaut. The disaster of the Challenger

received more controversy than the previous accident because the Challenger blew up during

flight while it was being livestreamed across the nation. By addressing the disaster that happened

before the Challenger, the President was made it clear that space travel comes with risks much

like any form of exploration. Ronald Reagan gives an example of a great explorer named Sir
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Frances Drake who died while exploring the sea. He does this to elaborate on the point that the

Challenger crew was much like Drake in the fact that they were courageous and gave their life to

the exploration of mankind. Reagan stated that, Their dedication was, like Drakes, complete.

(par. 10) to show that they did not lose their life in vain. They would be remembered and it was

our duty to move forward with their work so their sacrifice wasnt wasted.

The President is viewed as the leader of the United States of America. This places the

responsibility of unifying the nation in the time of a tragedy in the Presidents hands. Ronald

Reagan did exactly this in his address over the Challenger tragedy. Through the use of examples

and word choice, he was able to unify the nation and guide them through the time of mourning

and sorrow. He connected to the many people of America and helped comfort them just from his

choice of words. The examples he provided not only served to mourn over the tragedy, but to

inspire people and help them move forward. Reagan was able to not only address the tragic

event, but also made it clear that the United States will move forward and keep pursuing

exploration in space. In the time of confusion and devastation, President Reagan was able to

unify the nation and provide the foundation for moving forward.
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Works Cited

Garber, Steve. Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. NASA, NASA,

history.nasa.gov/reagan12886.html. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.