Introduction
Speeches, given by renowned leaders, have played a significant role in defining the affairs of this world. They have brought either destruction or beneficial outcomes to the intended audience. As this analysis reveals, two historic speeches, one by President Ronal Reagan and the other by President-elect Barrack Obama, have brought beneficial outcomes to the intended audience.
President Ronald Reagan’s Address at the Brandenburg Gate
On 12 June 1987, the United States President Ronald Reagan gave an address at the Brandenburg Gate in West Germany that challenged the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, to tear down the Berlin wall, which had been known to act as a symbol of communism. Thus, the need of this speech was influenced by the political circumstances of that time of ensuring the freedom of Berliners and thwarting the advancement of communism in the heat of the cold war.
Delivered before a crowd of approximately forty-five thousand individuals, including West German president Richard von Weizsacker, Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and West Berlin mayor Eberhard Diepgen, the speech was a triumphant attempt to elicit freedom and eliminate the malpractices of the Soviet regime to the Germans, and even to the rest of the world. Thus, the audience listening to the speech was eager for emancipation from the evils of communism.
Standing in the middle of alternating American and German flags in front of two panes of bulletproof glass, and a platform having one microphone, decorated the whole length with German band of colors, the purpose of the President in delivering the speech was clear: he was obliged as the President of the United States to visit the oppressed in Germany.
As the most powerful person in the planet, President Reagan had a duty to speak and declare rebuke where it is due to ensure that the freedom is promoted in all parts of the world. Past American Presidents had also made the attempt of promoting the message of freedom so as to protect the world from oppressive rulers. President Reagan said, “Twenty-four years ago, President John F. Kennedy visited Berlin, and speaking to the people of this city and the world at the city hall.
Well since then two other presidents have come, each in his turn to Berlin” (1). A weighted task was beforehand to be accomplished, and was to be accomplished through the forthcoming rhetoric; thus, the attention of the audience was fixed on the words to be spoken. As the eagerness increased, the President efficiently used logical appeal to put his point across.
Ronald Reagan’s messages in the speech were organized in an orderly fashion. He commences rather casually by recognizing the efforts of other American presidents who have strived to elicit freedom in the world. And, to attract the attention of the audience, he incorporates a phrase a German as the first paragraph culminates, “Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin” [I still have a suitcase in Berlin] (1).
As much as these words were taken from one of President Kennedy’s well-known foreign policy speeches, it is a perfect method that he used to capture the attention of his audience.
To capture the attention of his audience further, he employs the same technique in the next paragraph, For I join you, as I join your fellow countrymen in the West, in this firm, this unalterable belief: Es gibt nur ein Berlin. [There is only one Berlin] (1).
Afterward, the speaker addresses the intricate issue at the moment: the wall itself and the network of obstacles that have threatened to segregate the German people. He said, those barriers cut across Germany in a gash of barbed wire, concrete, dog runs, and guard towers” (2).
This is an astounding use of imagery as he says that a “gash,” a healing wound, is not made of torn flesh, but of barbed wire …. and guard tower, symbolizing that blood has flowed across the network of barriers that divide Germany. Next, he relates that image to the place where he was at that particular time, “Standing before the Brandenburg Gate, every man is a German…” (1).
As he progressed with the speech, he repeatedly used the wall as a figurative language to depict the barrier to freedom that that the Germans ought to overcome for their complete liberalization. In addition, he contrasts the standards of living that have resulted from forty years of western ideals versus communist ideals and concludes that the only workable solution, even for the Soviets themselves, is to embrace the western type of lifestyle that guarantees freedom to the people (Edwards, 119).
Following this stark reminder, President Reagan directed the expectation of the crowd to the future. He said, “Yet, I do not come here to lament. For I find in Berlin a message of hope…”(2). A notable example that the President used to support his thoughts that the western influence leads to freedom and prosperity was the Marshall Plan.
He reminded his audience that in their own experience, the U.S. specifically managed to attain liberty and success from some destroyed and devastated countries in the world. Citing George Marshall himself, Reagan asserted his position, “Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos” (2).
Next, almost halfway to the end of the rhetoric, he comes to the famous electrocuting line that is direct challenge to action to the Soviet leader, “Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” (3).
After giving the call to action and issuing the challenge that the Soviets are to face up to, he sums up with the assurance that “the wall cannot withstand faith, it cannot withstand freedom” (6). In this case the wall is used connotatively to refer to barriers towards attaining freedom. The President then ends his remarks, not with a challenge, or call to action, as he had done this earlier, but with a fantastic little zinger pointed at the ones who were against his coming to Germany.
In the speech, Reagan used repetition and commas, with significant pauses, to make his message admirable and easy to understand. For example, “With — With our French — With our French and British partners” (5). Further, voice, pauses, and controversial language, for example, referring to the wall as a “scar” were aimed at expressing the President’s righteous fury at the oppression that was being practiced. In addition, this also depicted his empathy with the audience.
In delivering the speech, the President’s tone was respectful, confidential, heartfelt, stern yet friendly and conveyed unwavering assurance in the truth of what he was driving home. Through putting across his strongest convictions entirely without becoming furious and in a logical tone, the President efficiently got his audience on-side.
Although he raised his voice in calling for the destruction of the Berlin Wall, it did not make his audience to feel alienated because he was pointing at an obvious necessity that needed to be addressed. Thus, his reasonable remarks, delivered entirely without anger, raised the credibility of his message by far.
President’s Reagan use of ethos, logos, and pathos further increased the credence of his message. Even though he did not use ethos as much, maybe because the worldwide recognition of his power and office did not necessitate that, there are some instances he used the literary device.
For example, when he said that he is the President of the U.S. and also when he reminded his listeners that he is and elder person with lots of experience. As pointed out earlier, Reagan used logos by logical organizing the speech using organized thoughts. And, he used pathos by establishing a common ground with his listeners and by suggesting for ways of improving the east-west relations in the city Berlin. The President appealed to pathos through referring to the significant role that Berlin can play in the affairs of the world.
The short-term effects of the speech were not very pronounced. The audience felt challenged and they started strategizing on their road to emancipation. The speech did not receive very high media coverage at the time of delivery until twenty years later. Soviets were also not pleased with the speech and they accused the U.S. president of delivering openly provocative remarks. Nonetheless, the long-term effects of the speech are still evident even today.
By the end of 1989, the Berlin wall was ultimately brought down and the Communists government of Eastern Europe collapsed (Engel, 1). This brought positive changes to the lives of the Berliners as they started to enjoy freedom that they had never had for a long time. Reagan’s career was enhanced due to the speech and went he back to Germany in September 1990 to pay tribute to the successful destruction of the wall.
Barack Obama – President-Elect Victory Speech
After being successfully elected as the forty-fourth President of the United States, Barrack Obama issued his historic acceptance speech at Grant Park in his home city of Chicago, Illinois before an approximately two hundred and forty thousand gathered people. Delivered on November 5, 2008, the speech is regarded as one of the most widely viewed and repeated political addresses in history since it centered the key issues facing the U.S. and the world at large.
The rhetoric echoed on his campaign slogan of change: “Yes we can”. Obama’s victory speech came at a time when the U.S. had to deal with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the effects of global warming were starting to be felt, and the world had to deal with the worst economic recession of the century. Thus, his speech was focused on tackling these core issues.
Further, Obama’s victory was mainly because the Americans were yearning for change and they voted for him despite the color of his skin and less experience in the politics of the nation (Metcalfe, 329). And, as the audience listened to the speech, the desire to break with the recent past clouded their faces. This made some of them, such as Jesse Jackson and Oprah Winfrey to shed tears in the crowd.
In the victorious speech, the president-elect successfully turned the campaign vigor into a moment of national celebration. He used his amazing good oratory skills to deliver the enthralling national address. His use of a variety of techniques assisted in unifying his audience as well as to deliver effectively the balanced and orderly speech. He started by evoking the American Dream in the rousing first paragraph, “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible …., tonight is your answer.”
This reference echoes the speech by Martin Luther King, an inspirational speaker of the past who played a defining role in the issues of the U.S. (Fleming, 240) The use of this introductory technique captures the attention of the audience. Further, his use of the second person point of view, which refers directly to his listeners, “tonight is your answer…it belongs to you..” is cunningly included so as to illustrate the significance of the individual in the future of the United States as one nation.
This direct reference to the audience points out that his success and future attempts to change the United States will solely depend on the efforts of the collective, not on him alone. Therefore, this technique is important in enabling individuals to feel a sense of belonging; their attendance has been recognized.
In the next paragraph, Obama again uses the word answer, “Its the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches…” (para.2). The incorporation of “answer” again signifies that he brings solutions to the American people. Referring to schools and churches as ‘good’ places brings an element of hope that not all is lost.
Next, he uses contrasts to bring his point home, “It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white” (para. 3). The last line in the paragraph, “…collection of Red States and Blue States….” echoes his address at the 2004 Democratic Convention that earned him public admiration. He used the address to initiate the ‘politics of hope,’ a theme that formed the center of most of his speeches.
“A little bit earlier this evening I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain” (para.6). This shows Obama’s magnanimity in victory since he talks about his opponent before his friends without ignoring him; therefore, this demonstrates that he can be a good leader.
Next, Obama began a sequence a thanks and he created tension by not naming the person until the end, “I want to thank my partner in this journey” (para.6). He employed this strategy in giving thanks to Joe Biden and his wife, Michelle Obama. Further, the mention of his daughters and telling them that they “have earned a new puppy” depicts him as a normal family man who cares for the well-being of his children.
To support his arguments, Obama referred to the remarks of other past great American leaders such as John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King. He referred to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address by saying, “We are not enemies but friends…Though passion may have strained, and it must not break our bonds of affection “(para. 16). The lines, “the road ahead will be long…we will get there” (para.13) echoes King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.
The incorporation of these references serves the purpose of instilling hope in the audience since the referred personalities succeeded amidst the difficulties they were facing. This hope is instilled further in the eyes of the crowd by the repetition of his campaign slogan, “Yes we can.” The repetition symbolizes the American Dream that America will eventually succeed amidst the obstacles it faces. The mention of the then 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper is a historical testimony that the impossible is possible.
The victory speech was filled with excellent use of language. There is the simple tricolon of “who still” evident in the introductory paragraph. “The road ahead will be long” (para. 13), is an example of Obama’s use of figurative language to represent the tough way ahead. “When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land” (para. 21) depicts the use assonance in the ‘s’ sound and alliteration in despair, dust and depression.
Further, the president-elect used logos by developing a point-by-point argument of his position, pathos by referring to his deceased grandmother, and ethos by referring to himself as the would-be President of the U.S.
Delivered in an audacious tone, the immediate impression that was left after the speech was that “change had come to America” and everyone was optimistic that the new administration would make changes to the leadership of the sole superpower in the world. Various people commended the speech as a true reflection of the problems that were facing America and the world.
Consequently, most Americans felt proud to have elected Barack Obama as their first African-American president. The speech established the credibility of Obama upon assuming the role of the U.S. president. Based on the speech, many agreed that he has the ability to lead the American people in fulfillment of their goals.
The issues he raised in the speech, among them economic growth, global warming, and Iraq war, have played a pivotal role in defining the policies of his administration. A notable success that he has achieved is instituting policies intended to increase the growth of the U.S. economy. Maybe the long-term effects of these changes will still require more time to be fully realized.
Comparison of the two speeches
It can be said that both the two speeches had a common goal: to instigate for changes to be done for the betterment of life on this world. While President Reagan aimed to free the Germans from the oppression of communism, President-elect Obama’s speech aimed at addressing the problems that were threatening the existence of the United States.
Thus, the skilled orators used various techniques to pass their message to their audience. Nonetheless, in contrast to Obama’s speech, Reagan’s speech was full of humor because of the way he used the native German language in delivering the speech. Obama employed a more serious tone that sent some of his audience to tears. Reagan’s speech did not get as much media attention as Obama’s; it came to the public limelight following the successful destruction of the Berlin wall.
In his speech, Reagan did not mince his words in addressing the issue at hand: “Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” (3). On the other hand, Obama employed a more calm tone in talking to his opponents: “And to those Americans who — whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your President, too” (para. 16).
Interestingly, both the two speeches were filled with hope. Reagan said, “Yet, I do not come here to lament. For I find in Berlin a message of hope…”(2) and Obama said, “Our union can be perfected. What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow” (para.19).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is evident that President Ronald Reagan’s address at the Brandenburg Gate and President-elect Barrack Obama’s victory’s speech in Chicago, Illinois, were significant in addressing the issues of the time. Even though they were delivered at different times and in different places, the speeches played a pivotal role in effecting important changes that have proved to be beneficial.
Works Cited
Edwards, Lee. The essential Ronald Reagan : a profile in courage, justice, and wisdom. Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005. Print.
Engel, Jeffrey A. The fall of the Berlin Wall : the revolutionary legacy of 1989. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
Fleming, Cynthia G. Yes we did! : from King’s dream to Obama’s promise. Lexington, KY : University Press of Kentucky, 2009. Print.
Metcalfe, Sheldon. Building a speech. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/ Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
Obama, Barrack. “President-Elect Victory Speech.” Americanrhetoric.com. American Rhetoric, 4 Nov. 2008. Web. https://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2008/barackobamavictoryspeech.htm
Reagan, Ronald. “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate.” Americanrhetoric.com. American Rhetoric,12 June 1987. Web. https://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/PDFFiles/Ronald%20Reagan%20-%20Brandenburg%20Gate%20Address.pdf