The explosion of the Challenger Shuttle placed a grim blanket over the United States. Thousands of people were watching live television as the Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after takeoff. The unbelievable moment of this accident left the United States in a feeling of immense sadness. In response to this situation, President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech to the United States about this tragedy.
The Challenger Crew.
Via: NASA
Reagan understood the sensitive nature of this moment and carefully constructed his response. The occasion on which he was speaking was an obviously grief-filled one, and his words were carefully selected to resemble this. Reagan delivered this speech on the same day of the incident. The timeliness of this delivery shows how heavily this weighed on the United States. He explained that himself and his acquaintances “share this pain with all of the people of our country.” This expresses how this event should unite the country because everyone is feeling similar grief in response to this accident.
In his speech, Reagan was speaking to all the people in the United States. His deliverance was very optimistic, as he repeatedly explained that this moment will not be the end of space exploration and how the United States will be able to overcome this tragic event. He explained that “our hopes and our journeys continue,” meaning that the space program will continue to thrive and develop even after this accident. He is speaking directly to the United States people in this moment because he uses “our” to show that all citizens will stand united in this moment to mourn and encourage the overcoming of this tragedy.
He also took moments to individually honor each of the members that had lost their lives in the Challenger and referred to all of them as “heroes.” Whilst encouraging the future of the space program, he says that “the future doesn’t belong to the faint hearted, it belongs to the brave,” further showing how he appreciated the courage of the Challenger crew. This also shows his optimistic attitude towards the future of space exploration because he talks about the desire for a strong future. He says that braveness is what allows for excellence here, just like the bravery that was exhibited by the entire crew in the Challenger.
He builds trust throughout this speech by continually explaining how the entire country is united in this moment and using “we” and “our.” Reagan makes the audience see that he feels their grief and feels a connection to them. He begins to end his speech by saying “we will never forget them.” This creates a personal attachment between the people of the United States and the entire crew. He pushes people to mourn this loss and never forget the courage that all the crew members expressed on this journey.
President Reagan delivering his response to the Challenger tragedy.
Via: PBS
Overall, Reagan’s speech has a grieving, yet optimistic tone throughout. He takes a moment to honor all the crew members that lost their lives on this day whilst still encouraging the future of the space program to flourish. He connects himself to the audience, therefore building trust and understanding with them. He illustrates how the country will move past this tragic event by standing together and continuing to improve the program.