A burkean analysis of ronald reagans tear down this wall speech stefanie e. He urges gorbachev to come to the brandenburg gate and tear down this wall. I understand the fear of war and the pain of division that afflict this continent, and i pledge to you my countrys efforts to help overcome these burdens. Ronald reagans speech remarks at the brandenburg gate, given on the west side of the berlin wall on june 12, 20, was the challenge to the soviet union to tear down the wall and end the oppression walton. To be sure, we in the west must resist soviet expansion. Merkel takes aim at trump in tear down walls speech. The wall refers, of course, to the berlin wall the physical barrier between west and east germany, as well as the symbolic barrier between two. June 12, 1987, ronald reagan gave his famous tear down this wall speech in berlin. Lessons from reagan after tear down this wall speech. Tear down this wall analysis symbols, motifs, and rhetorical devices. Ronald reagan chipped away at the berlin wall washington.
Tear down that wall if it was polled it was not seen as a smart speech, but reagan was a longtime antisoviet hawk. Students read excerpts from president ronald reagans tear down this wall speech and answer 20 questions. The speech is called remarks at the brandenburg gate or more commonly known as the tear down this wall speech. Short rhetorical analysis of tear down this wall essay. In one of his most famous statements, president reagan declares mr. It is the most powerful man in the world, telling the man who wields power almost its equal, this is what you must do. Its the speech given by ronald reagan on june 12, 1987. Behind me stands a wall that encircles the free sectors of this city, part of a vast system of barriers that divides the entire continent of europe. Learn more about tear down this wall speech with a detailed plot summary and plot diagram.
President reagan challenges gorbachev to tear down this wall. Pretty much no one in the west thought the berlin wall was all that cool. The president referring to the dividing wall as a scar reveals the negative opinion he has on the wall, as well. To support his claim, he gives examples of other countries that have achieved freedom and states that these countries are doing extremely well economically. The name is derived from a key line in the middle of the. The berlin wall was the symbol of soviet oppression, which needed to be torn down.
The main claim that reagan is arguing for is freedom and the destruction of the berlin wall. His primary goal was to rally the people of west berlin to accept western democracy and oppose the berlin wall, which had stood for over 25 years at. This would work for both us history and world history. Reagan gave this speech on june 12, 1987, at the brandenburg gate near the berlin wall. For this rhetorical analysis essay, i have chosen to do it on a speech done by our 40th president, ronald reagan. Thirty years after the reagan speech, video of that zinger mr. Tear down this wall speech analysis 796 words bartleby. On this day in 1987, in one of his most famous cold war speeches, president ronald reagan challenges soviet leader mikhail gorbachev to tear down the. Remembering reagans tear down this wall speech 25 years. Analysis of reagans tear down this wall speech youtube. See more ideas about tear down this wall, tear down and wall. There are a mix of academic, opinion, and creative questions. Ronald reagan, tear down this wall some other highlights concluding remarks background information reagans direct speech with gorbachev ronald reagan 11 short sentences creates build up reagans confidence and optimism is maintained until the last sentence. Skoniecki elizabethtown college come here to this gate.
Pass out the two handouts, ronald reagans tear down this wall speech and the questions for examining bias in tear down this wall. Rhetorical analysis of ronald reagans address at the brandenburg gate 785 words 4 pages. Tear down this wall, also known as the berlin wall speech, was a speech delivered by united states president ronald reagan in west berlin on june 12, 1987. It follows the text transcript of ronald reagans tear down this wall speech, delivered at the brandenburg gate, berlin, germany june 12, 1987. World history remembers ronald reagans renowned call 30 years ago next month to tear down the berlin wall. In 1987, ronald reagan used emotion, logic, and intellect to persuade the soviets that tearing down the wall would help make berlin prosperous. The tear down this wall speech didnt mark the end of reagans attempts to work with gorbachev on improving relations between the two rival nations. In my opinion, simplicity is often the most effective characteristic of a wellcrafted speech. Tear down this wall american values and rhetorical analysis. Reagan tear down this wall in 1961, the berlin wall was erected in order to separate the free west berlin from the surrounding sovietoccupied east germany and east berlin. President reagan truly took advantage of where he was presenting his speech, and who was in the audience. Reagans tear down this wall speech analysis by stephanie.
East germanys hardline communist leadership was forced from power less than two years later during the wave of democratization that swept through eastern europe, which had been catalyzed in part by warming relations between reagan and gorbachev and thus between the governments of the u. Rhetorical analysis of tear down this wall by ronald reagan on june 12, 1987 president reagan came to the brandenburg gate in west berlin to speak to the leaders and citizens of west germany. What is ronald reagans tear down this wall speech about. Angela merkel urged harvard graduates thursday to tear down walls of ignorance and narrowmindedness in a speech laced with apparent jibes at donald trump and his policies. Tear down this wall speech plot summary course hero. From the archives of cbs news, bill plante reports on president reagans historic speech at the berlin wall, on june 12, 1987, where he called on soviet leader, mikhail gorbachev to tear down. On june 12th, 1987, millions listened as world leaders gathered in berlin at the brandenburg gate to commemorate the 750th anniversary of berlin. Reagans tear down this wall analyzed political persuasion.
President ronald reagans tear down this wall speech marked his visit to the brandenburg gate in berlin on june 12, 1987, following the g7 summit meeting in venice. As reagan spoke, his words were amplified to both sides of the berlin wall, reaching both east and west germans. The answers are included where appropriate and this would be great for a sub. Rcl 4rhetorical analysis essay krzyztof bozentkas rcl blog. President ronald reagan made one of his most famous speeches, in which he appealed to then soviet union general secretary mikhail gorbachev to tear down this wall. By reagan using this metaphor, he allows the audience to feel unified together as one nation who is forced to all view this national flaw in their nations history. When i first heard this speech back in my 11th grade history class, i only heard the most famous part, but i still got chills from that. Quotes from ronald reagans tear down this wall speech. The speech is remembered largely for reagans explicit call to tear down this wall, but the line, now recognized as its most powerful, almost didnt make it in to the script. The roar from the audience as reagan calls out to gorbachev to open this gate. Its been dissected, analyzed, loved, hated, and remixed to techno.
In his speech take down this wall, ronald reagan persuasively uses arguments based on character to establish his credibility as a champion of democracy, arguments based on logic to substantiate his summons, and appeals to emotion to solidify his alliance to the values of berliners and to freedom, in his call on gorbachev to dismantle the berlin wall, advance peace, and promote. Former reagan speechwriter anthony dolar writes in the wall street journal about the struggle in washington over ronald regans desire to keep four little words in his berlin speech. A rhetorical analysis of former president ronald reagans 1987 address at the brandenburg gate in the speech tear down this wall, the author, peter robinson a speechwriter for the white house, attempts to end the divide between east and west berlin. Learn the important quotes in tear down this wall speech and the chapters theyre from, including why theyre important and what they mean in the context of the book. I understand the fear of war and the pain of division that afflict this continent and i pledge to you my countrys efforts to help overcome these burdens. This speech is uberfamous and has been widely referenced by politicos, journalists, academics, entertainers, and businessfolk. Ronald reagan begins this speech by recalling john f. Have your students read the first handout, paying special attention to the biases of the author. Rhetorical analysis of tear down this wall 1001 words.
Also, shortly after this speech, talks commenced between reagan and gorbachev, east and west as communism fell, and so did the wall. The phrase tear down this wall has become part of americas and the worlds collective memory, and its everywhere. He speaks of future peace with the soviet union and encourages the soviet government to work on bringing east and west berlin together. The resource includes excerpts from the overall speech in order to make the speech more approachable by students. It is a challenge to action like few others that have ever been issued. He felt thats what he needed to say in berlin and he did it and he let. During his speech, president reagan skillfully utilized the many rhetorical devices in order to persuade soviet leader mikhail gorbachev to tear down the berlin wall.
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