Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Address: Main Idea
Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Address: Main Idea
Though it likely was not channeling a vinyl decal on the back of an 18-wheeler, Reagan's message can be boiled down to "keep on truckin'." Persevere. Keep on keepin' on.
When he later commented on the speech, he said he knew he had to convince the American people, specifically all of the children who were never going to eat a bomb pop again, "...that life does go on and you don't back up and quit some worthwhile endeavor because of tragedy" (source).
He was basically saying, "I'm still truckin'. NASA's still truckin'. So you'd better keep on truckin', too."
…just with a little more finesse.
Questions
- Why was it so important for Reagan to appear strong and composed when giving his speech?
- In what way did Reagan both encourage and comfort his audience? What kind of language does he use?
- What does the incorporation of poetry in the speech have on its overall impact? What kind of response is Reagan hoping to elicit?
- Why do you think Reagan went to such great lengths to place the Challenger Disaster within a broader historical context?
Chew On This
Presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan deliberately used lyrical language in her speech for Reagan in order to appeal to the American people by relying on sentimentality.
Reagan's well-crafted delivery of a well-crafted speech was a transparent political maneuver to improve his public approval ratings.
Quotes
Quote #1
Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy. (13)
Here Reagan speaks for the Challenger Seven. And even though he puts words in their mouths (rude), his intentions are good. He is attempting to characterize the astronauts as motivated people who didn't shy away from difficulties. Instead they literally signed up for them. They knew what they were getting into…which took a lot of guts.
Quote #2
We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers. (21-22)
Reagan does two things here. 1) He brings everyone together under the team name of "pioneer"...and Team Pioneer has just lost seven of its MVPs. 2) He places the tragedy within the context of America's history of exploration.
Think about the great losses involved in Westward Expansion. It was hard enough pioneering west, and now we're really moving into completely unknown territory (no, not Canada).
Quote #3
The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. (27)
So don't be a wuss. But seriously, this is an important turning point in the speech. It's meant to boost people's morale and conviction in American progress. It is strategically placed before Reagan makes his case for continuing along that same path of progress, specifically with NASA.
Quote #4
That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute. (33)
Here, Reagan references the political tensions of the Cold War. They are a bit shady because the competition between the Soviet and American space programs (and everything else at the time) wasn't exactly a secret. Given the historical context, this comment was as much "yay, freedom!" as it was "boo, Communism." And everyone knew it.
(Side note: it might help to jump to the "Historical Context" section to make better sense of this part.)