It is 1986 and a great tragedy had just occurred that defined the American space race. The explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger had occurred before the eyes of billions of Americans as they watched it live on TV. This day in January should have been another one of those successes, but instead the entire world watched as hopes and dreams exploded alongside the challenger, resulting in great loss and pain with no answers as to how it could have happened. President Ronald Reagan reaches out to the nation on a logical and emotional level to help ensure connection, remorse, and ensure Americans come through the crisis strong. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay On January 28, seven bright and hopeful astronauts go into space on the Space Shuttle flight. At noon it became a completely different occasion. People across America were grappling with losses, especially those who had seen the situation fall apart with their own eyes. People started to accuse and question things. They needed a leader to step up and tell the nation about what had happened and what it really meant for America's future. President Ronald Reagan, who was also very popular among the American people for his words and actions, decided to step forward. His speech connected with every individual American through emotion and making sure that it was important for them to see that space travel was risky and that's something that comes in the package, but it wasn't what they should be focusing on. He wanted to help the audience grieve but also prepare them to move on after a while. In his speech he opened by saying, "Today is a day of mourning and remembrance...we are deeply saddened by the tragedy of the Shuttle Challenger," telling the audience that it was a time when everyone should feel the sadness of moving on to the next step . You can see from the words he spoke or the expressions on his face that he was a lost American, just like the person on the other end of the TV. Reagan presents the explosion in a way that people can understand by saying it was a “leak,” a “tragedy,” or an “accident.” I could tell that his message was honest and came from his heart because his face showed the pain and that it was a tragedy for him as it was for the family of the seven who lost their lives. He talks about it to try to touch their emotions personally while returning to the audience by reminding them that this wasn't the only time astronauts lost their lives. Connect his reaction to what the audience feels. In his speech Reagan shows how exploring and trying new things is a risky thing and those who volunteered knew it. “…and perhaps we have forgotten the courage needed by the shuttle crew…they were aware of the dangers, but they overcame and did their job brilliantly.” He tells the school children that sometimes when people go out to do new things there is a possibility that they will get hurt and then by saying "the future does not belong to the faint of heart, it belongs to the brave", he shows that he believes because people do risky things and whether it's worth it. This was not only to please the children but also their parents, so that they could see his message in different ways. President Reagan's goal was a way to connect directly to the American people by making it personal throughout the entire speech. He exclaimed that this tragic event not only affects the lives of the missing and theirs.