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Ronald Reagan Speech Analysis

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Ronald Reagan speech analysis In this assignment I will be examining a speech brought by Ronald Reagan. I will put the speech in the rhetorical pentagon and afterwards analyze it. I will especially focus on Ronald Reagan’s use of language, cause it’s really relevant when it comes to speeches, and also the choise of composition in the speech. The speaker of the speech is of cause Ronald Reagan. Reagan was the 40th president of the United States in the time between 1981 to 1989. He preached this speech in March 1983, at the Annual Convention of the National Convention of the National Association of Evangelicals. As said, the time was 1983, and at this time, the cold war was continuously going on, and the relationship between the Americans and the Soviet Union with its communism were therefore extremely bad, which also reflects in this speech. So the communism is a huge topic in this speech, and Reagan accomplishes to compare America to goodness, while he attacks the Soviets by comparing them to evil. The other major aspect in the speech of Ronald Reagan is about the increase in illegitimate births and abortions involving under aged girls. He mentions the clinics that were established in well-intentioned faith are offering different kind of services to the girls, without their parent even knowing it. He wants to change that, and maximize parental participation. This is the other major aspect of the speech, which of course is being told to the evangelicals of Orlando. Ronald Reagan purpose of this speech is mainly to stir up the fighting against communism.

The language of the speech is very marked by the fact that Ronald Reagan are talking to evangelicals. This can be seen as he often speaks of religion and god. It also reflects in Reagan’s use of rhetorical devices, where he a couple of times uses allusion when referring to god and the bible. An example

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