Darian
Ms. White
English 101.42
2 October 2013

An Analysis of “A Time For Choosing” Millions of viewers tuned into the National Broadcasting Company television network for a special broadcast on the 27th of October. Viewers were anticipating Ronald Reagan’s “A Time for Choosing” speech. Reagan was acknowledged for his acting in motion pictures and television episodes since 1937, and was now being seen in an unfamiliar role. Reagan emerged in support of the Republican nominee Barry Goldwater. Barry Morris Goldwater was a businessman and five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for president in the 1964 election. “A Time for Choosing” utilizes a plethora of rhetoric: style, delivery, pathos,
He goes on to state “there can be no real peace while one American is dying some place in the world for the rest of us”. Reagan effectively connects our need for an interventionist foreign policy that will challenge communism anywhere it exists in the world in order to achieve peace through an emotional story. The audience will react positively to the emotional story because they can empathetically connect to the struggles of our nation’s military families. Reagan’s use of pathos allows him to connect to his audience. It makes them understand that he has the same concerns about foreign policy as average Americans. “There is no foundation like the rock of honesty and fairness, and when you begin to build your life on that rock, with the cement of the faith in God that you have a real start.” He depicts the image of a man who wants to see his son succeed, something that most parents share. Reagan uses logos to argue for economic conservatism. Reagan creates a common sense argument about the economic reality of our nation’s fiscal policy through a combination of facts, figures, and reasoning. Reagan uses logos, in order to inform Americans of the injustices set forth by the current government. By stating straight facts and logic such as “We’ve raised our debt limit three times in the last twelve months, and now our national debt is one and a half times bigger