Ronald Reagan Remarks at the Brandenburg

Ronald Reagan Remarks at the Brandenburg

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Ronald Reagan Remarks at the Brandenburg

Major Paper #2

Ronald Reagan, “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate” (1987)

As the result of the Cold War, Berlin Wall cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany with guard towers placed along large concrete walls, and divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. At the time of the 750th anniversary of the Berlin, President Reagan delivered a speech at Brandenbrug Gate to Mr.

Gorbachev and all the Berliner from both the Eastern and Western parts of the city. President Reagan ’s uses the identification technique of transcendence “we”and association to share his common ground and same interests with his audiences in order to advocate his proposals that tearing down the Berlin Wall and Liberalization are the only ways to peace and freedom.

In his speech, President Regan uses transcendence “we” to make his audience feel that they are together in the same team, looking for solutions for the Brandenburg Gate that benefits Berliner and all people. Identification through transcendence “we” is a rhetorical technique that invented by the contemporary rhetorical theorist Kenneth Burke. By using the term “we” in his theory of identification, it creates a close bond between the speaker and the audience and makes the audience identify with the speaker at the first place. In the speech, President Reagan says “We hear much from Moscow about a new policy of reform and openness.”

The usage of “we” creates a bond between his and his audiences that we, as people who has been the witness of the history and how Moscow obtains openness and changes their new policy. Then, he addresses that “We welcome change and openness” to express that we witnesses also welcome changes and openness that benefit the people and the country.

Although President Reagan is not from German, but he finds the common ground and uses “we” to stand on the position of seeking solutions for all human’s peace and freedom. “for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace.”

As Western Berliner was being divided from the Eastern part, they can’t cross the line, they were being restricted and there was no freedom. He addresses the same value with his audience that they all believe freedom comes with security and the power of freedom and liberty will only strengthen world peace. President Reagan’s usage of “we” expresses what Berliner want at that moment. The we transcendence “we” makes President Reagan a representative of Berliner to shout out their beliefs and desires.

Moreover, President Reagan also appeals Liberalization and critiques the Soviet system that “we in the West must resist Soviet expansion”. The transcendence “we” in here represents we as people who supports liberalization, who supports freedom, who stands with him and agree with him, should resist Soviet system and its expansion. Because that there was already a bond between President Reagan and his audiences, it’s more easy to advocate his proposal based on common beliefs and interests.

After President Reagan creates the bond between him and his audiences and build up common beliefs and interests, he uses association from identification by Kenneth Burke to advocate his proposal that tearing down the Berlin Wall and Liberalization are the only ways to peace and freedom.

Kenneth Burke explains that by using association the speaker may establish a shared sense of values, attitudes, and interests with an audience. In the speech, President Reagan says to General Secretary Gorbachev, “if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate.”

Obviously, President Reagan has common interest with the Berliner that they both seek peace and liberalization. The usage of association in here is like a sound of group cohesion that seek to reach the common goal: tear down Berlin Wall and change the system to Liberalization.

This proposal for General Secretary Gorbachev is undeniable. “former Reagan advisor Dinesh D’Souza claimed that Reagan “used his speech to drive Gorbachev into an awkward political position, to compel him to prove his sincerity before the world.” (Robert& Jones, 2006, p23) Association technique associate Berliner and President Reagan to propose to General Secretary Gorbachev that they want him to tear down the Berlin Wall for people’s benefits.

Furthermore, President Reagan uses one of Aristotle’s artistic proofs, pathos, to incite his audiences’ emotions and reaction on his proposal of tearing down the Berlin Wall and change the Soviet System to Liberalization. Aristotle, as the ancient rhetorician, explained that pathos, as one of the artistic proofs, basically appeals to emotions that lead to reactions to persuade the audience. The Berlin Wall is a well-known event characterized by pain, restriction, and depression. President Reagan’s artful usage of these similar emotions in his speech successfully connect his proposal to his audiences.

For example, “From the Baltic South, those barriers cut across Germany in a gash of barbed wire, concrete, dog runs, and guard towers ” This sentence creates a feeling of depressed, ghastly, and mirthless. People both from Western and Eastern part of Berlin were living under this dark atmosphere. No one would like the current situation so they must be desiring for changes.

The emotional appeal agitate people’s emotion of depress and their desire of wanting a bright life. Moreover, people were suffering from being separated from their fellows and families just like the quote describes “The theme of human suffering and expressions of genuine sorrow also may be seen in the remarks and writings of Germans who felt the impact of the Wall on their lives and the lives of their families. “(Michael, 1989, p321) In the speech, there’s a sentence, “every man is a German separated from his fellow men”. All fellows should be together.

It is very cruel to separate them with a wall. The usage of pathos incite audiences’ emotions of painful and desperate for being separated from people’s fellow men and agitate their emotions of wanting their fellows to come back. President Reagan uses pathos to appeal to people’s emotions and advocate his proposal of tearing down the wall so people can get back together.

In conclusion, President Reagan employs Burke’s contemporary technique of transcendence “we”, and association to share his common ground and same interests with his audiences. He also uses Aristotle’s ancient artistic proof of pathos to incite his audiences’ emotions to wanting one, united Berlin to advocate his proposals that tearing down the Berlin Wall and Liberalization are the only ways to peace and freedom.

References

Bruner, M. S. (1989). Communication Quarterly, Symbolic Uses of the Berlin Wall, 1961-1989, 37(4), p319-328, doi:10.1080/01463378909385553

Rowlan, R.C.& Jones, J.M. (2006). Rhetoric & Public Affairs. Regan at the Brandenburg Gate: Moral Clarity Tempered by Pragmatism, 9(1), p21-50, doi:10.1353/ rap.2006.0030

Ronald Reagan Remarks at the Brandenburg

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