Rhetorical Analysis of Ronald Reagan Inaugural Speech free essay sample

In order to analysis Ronald Reagan First Inaugural Address, summarize and analysis peech, research political context, rhetorical analysis are necessary. The Ronald Reagans first inaugural address included the countrys situation, the President Reagans plan as a regularly president address. President Reagan thanks everybody to believe his and let him to be president at first. Next he said The business of our nation goes forward (Ronald), but unfortunately the United States are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions. (Ronald). Not only economic recession, the United States also faced financial deficit which was caused by unreasonable tax structure. He urged Americans to act in order to preserve omorroW'(Ronald). For the crisis, he address his view as government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem(Ronald). With this, the government had to change, he said he would curb the size and influence of the Federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the states or to the people(Ronald). Not only plans about government reformation, he also punished the solution of economic recession which was removing the roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity (Ronald). At the part of speech, he stated the is foreign policy which was strengthen relationship with ally and never compromised to the adversaries like the Soviet Union, the president Reagan confirmed that America had won the Cold War. Learning something about the speechs society background and political background were necessary for audience to analyze the speech. This speech was the president Reagan first inaugural address on January 20,1981. This was hardest period of America after World War II, as Weidenbaum talk about the United States economic situation in Working for President Ronald Reagan, that American economy was suffering from a combination f illnesses: high inflation and low growth as well as high taxation, rising government spending, and excessive regulation(P689-690). Except the economic crisis, the America also faced the high international pressure from the Soviet Union. n the high pressure of economic and international relationship, the America political failed in tough compete. In the 1980s president campaign, the democrats president Jimmy According the Chambers Dictionary of World History, in the Iran hostage crisis, the failed of attempted helicopter rescue causing the Carter administration great olitical embarrassment which was one of major factor of president Carter defeat by Ronald Reagan(lran). The republican candidate R onald Reagan This address was very important, it was an inaugural address, and it also was incentive speech for America. As the Great Lives: A Century in Obituaries said, Domestically, Reagans two great achievements were to restore Americas pride and confidence after Vietnam, Watergate (RONALD ). The president Reagans speech was very important, because America was in an important period of Cold War, in this period which called Second Cold war after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and advertised communism to Afghanistan. The president Reagan had to recovery Americans pride to believe capitalism was better than communism. The president Reagan showed his plan about economics, government, and foreign policy. For the economics, as the president Reagan said Those who do work are denied a fair return for their labor by a tax system which penalizes successful achievement and keeps us from maintaining full productivity (Ronald). Focus on the unreasonable tax system, the president Reagan declared he would change it. In the 1980, he pushed the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1980 which implemented his commitment about change tax system. This policy focuses on the individual tax reduce, retirement saving incentive, personal saving incentive, reduction of the basic estate tax rate, incentives for the small business, accelerated cost recovery system, and accelerated coast recovery system(Delaney). For the government, the president Reagan suggested to limited the governments power and translated this power to the states or to the people(Ronald). In Reagans speech, he talked a lot about government, because he thought government was the root of the countrys problem (Ronald). No doubt, all his government policies were focusing on the economic recoveries, and his style of incentive economic policies was called Reaganomics. During his eight years in office the United States created roughly 17 million new Jobs, and the gross national product nearly doubled. Yet the sustained economic expansion was fuelled by more than Just tax cuts. Reagan tended to forget the $100 billion tax increase he had been obliged to endorse in 1982(Big ). The president Reagan also pushed some policy to reduce the unemployment as he said in his speech, Putting America back to work means putting all Americans back to work. Ending inflation means freeing all Americans from the terror of runaway living cost(Ronald). The president Reagans policy about unemployment really useful, according to The Encyclopedia of Strikes in American History, The statistics of the Department of Labor demonstrate the impact of the striker replacement tactic: after 1981 there was a sharp drop in work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, from 235 strikes in 1979 to ninety-six in 1982, going down to forty in 1988. (STRlKES ). As for the foreign policy, the president was a believed that America would win the cold war, and America would continue the rmament race with the Soviet Union as he said in the address, When action is required to preserve our national security, we will act. We will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so, we have the best chance of never having to use that strength(Ronald). In order to keep the advantage of military March 8, 1983, this program was popularly referred to as Star based on a plan to use space-based weapons to shoot down potential incoming missiles from the Soviet Union (Strategic). This program not only accelerated the nuclear race, it also accelerated the Soviet Union more collapsing. Along with the president Reagan showed his plan in the speech, the three kinds of rhetoric cross the speech which helps his speech clear, emotional, and authority. Analysis the rhetoric can help audiences more clear the speakers ideas and emotions. In the Ronald Reagans First Inaugural Address, the Ronald Reagan used the ethos in his speech. He cite the one of the greatest among the Founding Fathers, Dr. Joseph Warren, president of the Massachusetts Congresss world, Dr. Joseph Warren said to his fellow Americans, Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important question upon which rest the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves. W(Ronald) The president Reagan used the ethos appeal who is one of the greatest among the Founding Fathers. He wanted to let American to know they had overcome the biggest problem in the founding of the country, and now, they also could overcome the economic recession which was easier than the America founding. The president Reagan tried to tell American economic recession was not to overcome if all American unite and never gave up. Reagan also used the logos which showed his speech very ogical. In the beginning of speech, he pointed the United States faced the seriously economic problem. Next he pointed the key of the economic problem, the way to solved economic recession was government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem (Ronald). by the logos appeals, the president Reagan showed the result as economic recession was not difficult to figure it out. The reason of his speech outstanding was he really good at using the pathos in the speech which could let American felt confidences and faith for the United States. Like he said in the peech It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together with Gods help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us(Ronald). In the pathos appeals, he certified the American would overcome the problem, and welcome new day. The president Reagan presents his purpose and situation in the speech. It was clear that the president Reagan tried to persuade American to unite and overcame the economic recession. The second purpose in his speech was showed his plan while he was president. As for the situation, the president Reagan had talked the American situation in the beginning of speech, as he said These United States are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions. We suffer from the longest and one of the worst sustained inflations in our national history. (Ronald) A good speech not only need use rhetoric, it also need put all kinds of rhetoric in a logical order. In the President Reagans first inaugural address, the logos though all the speech, a good speech should clearly showed the point and the audience easy to understand how the speaker gets the final result. Of ourse, the President Reagans speech was outstanding, because the logos appeal was used from beginning to the end. In the speech beginning, the Reagan said The business of our nation goes forward(Ronald), next he talked about the present pushed his plan about how to deal with it, his plan included tax reformation ,and changed government to efficiency, because government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem(Ronald). Next he used the pathos appeal, he said the U. S. would begin an era of national renewal, next he called the entire American renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope. Everybody worked for national renewal, and everybody was hero for the country, which never been heroic dream. At the end of economic part, he summarized his policy, and use ethos appeal to second times encouraged his audiences that they could overcome the economic recession, as the Reagan cited Dr. Joseph Warren words Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important question upon which rest the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn.