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The Challenger Address Essay Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th United States President after winning against the Democratic Challenger Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential election. Reagan won by attaining 50. 7% of the popular votes in that particular election. It can be said that the beginning of his term was not that pleasing. On his first year of term, he fired 11,345 air traffic controllers who, according to him violated the regulation of the government that prohibits unions from striking. Also, it had been said that unemployment in the United States increases to 10. 8%, which is greater than any time since the great depression during his first year in position. However, this percentage dropped during the rest of his presidency. It can also be said that after his first term, Reagan gained the respect and trust of the American people by being nominated for the second time as the president of the United States on the 1985 presidential election in which he was elected by landslide, having unprecedented number of votes. It was also said that during his years of presidency, restoration of prosperity was viewed by the people as well as global peace. It was also in the year 1986 that the income tax code was revised by Reagan wherein millions of people with low income were exempted. The year 1986 is not just a year of development in terms of social conditions in the United States; it was also a time wherein space exploration was greatly admired. By that time there had been several developments and expeditions that can be considered successful. Thus, the people especially Americans were very enthusiast to explore and to achieve greater heights in terms of space travel and exploration. However, this year was also a tragic time for the space exploration era when the Space Shuttle Challenger explodes a short while after lifting off, leaving none of the seven crews alive on January 28, 1986. The public was shocked at what they witnessed. Also, by that time, President Reagan was planning to deliver a speech to the American people but was compelled by the tragedy of the Challenger. Thus, President Reagan delivered a speech concerning the accident rather than the one that he intended to deliver to the people. This speech was well known as the â€Å"Challenger Address†. The accident had a great impact in the American people. The main reason was stated by the president himself in his â€Å"Challenger Addressed†. There had been a history in space exploration wherein lives were lost, three of them. The accident happened around 19 years before the Challenger tragedy. Although there had been cases of death regarding space exploration, the fact that the tragedy happen in mid air shocked the Americans and the whole world as well. There had never been any accident regarding space exploration that happened a few seconds after the shuttle’s takeoff. Two interpretations can be given why the speech of President Reagan was known as the â€Å"Challenger Addressed†. The first is, it was given that title since the shuttle was named Challenger. However, looking at the contents of the â€Å"Challenger Addressed†, it can be said the word Challenger does not refer to the name of the shuttle but rather to the contents and message of the speech. The president is challenging the nation to continue their search and to never lose heart in space exploration because of the Challenger accident. There had been several components of the speech that makes it effective and appealing to the American people. The very first part of the speech that Reagan used to encourage the people to pursue space explorations was by calling the astronauts heroes, Reagan stated, â€Å"We mourn seven heroes† (Reagan, 1986). He also states that the astronauts were well aware of the dangers that they must face but have overcome it. The president also showed his sympathy with the people especially the family of the astronauts. In order to gain the sympathy and heart of the people, they must know that you are one with them, in spirit and emotions. President Reagan expressed his anguish and mourned not only with the families of the astronauts but with the whole nation as well. At the beginning of his speech, President Reagan sympathized and mourned with the nation in order to appeal to them. However, his tone was developed in the succeeding paragraphs, from appealing to encouraging. He did this by saying, â€Å"The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave† (Reagan. 1986). These statements surely challenged the people at that time. The impact of the tragedy was reduced in an instant. The president also stated his desire to talk to the people of NASA and to tell and show them that their efforts are well appreciated as well as their sacrifices and bravery and encourage them to pursue their search despite the Challenger accident. Another part of the â€Å"Challenge Address† was the story of Sir Francis Drake, a great explorer who lived by the sea and died on it. President Reagan uses parallelism to connect the present situation into another situation in the past. Thus, those who died in the tragedy are compared to and are paralleled with Drake that creates a good impression for the seven crews of the Challenger. Just as Drake was considered a great man, they too are considered heroes and great explorers. President Reagan ends his speech by saying that the memories of the seven crews will never be forgotten. Thus, showing that they are valued as well as their sacrifices and hard work will never be in vain. This was also important in order to encourage the youth in pursuing to be an astronaut because of the fear that was established by the Challenger accident. It is important to know that your hard work is acknowledge by the society in general in order to be motivated and to pursue a certain career. One of the main factors why the speech was effective was the image, personality and credibility of the speaker. Being the president that time, people will surely listen to what the Reagan has to say. However, in terms of astronomical knowledge and the risk and sacrifices needed on being an astronaut, he cannot be considered a pro. There will surely be different sides of the address; it may either encourage the audience while others may see that the President was in no position to make such address. In every issue, there is always a positive and as well a negative aspect. However, it can be said that President Reagan was able to really challenge the people to search for greater achievements in terms of space exploration and taking the Challenger tragedy as a part of reaching greater knowledge and understanding of the universe, that every quest has its own risk as well as sacrifices that has to be overcome to really success in that particular area. The occasion or the time in which a speech was delivered was also a very important factor for a speech to be effective. The â€Å"Challenger Speech† will not have the same impact if it was delivered without such event, the Challenger tragedy, happening. Thus, the situation or the tragedy is a very big factor why the address made by President Reagan caught the attention of many people by that time and as well as the attention and interest of the people in the contemporary time. There are a lot of things that has to be considered in order to make an effective speech of which four components are primary; the speaker, the audience, the occasion and of course, the speech itself. It can be said that the â€Å"Challenger Address† by former President Reagan is effective because these components had been addressed properly. The speaker is credible enough for the people to listen to what he has to say as well as the occasion needed to gain the attention and interest of the audience. Of course, the audiences were concerned about the situation because of the impact of the tragedy. And of course, the speech itself was well made, something that is expected for a United States President. References Michigan State University Libraries. (No Date). Space exploration. Retrieved January 30, 2008 from http://www. lib. msu. edu/publ_ser/docs/displays/Displaymarch03. html. Reagan, R. (1986). The space shuttle ‘challenger’ tragedy address. Retrieved January 30, 2008 from http://www. americanrhetoric. com/speeches/ronaldreaganchallenger. htm. The White House. (No Date). President Ronald Reagan 1911-2004. Retrieved January 30, 2008 from http://www. whitehouse. gov/history/presidents/rr40. html.