Rhetorical Analysis Of Ronald Reagan's Berlin Speech

Ronald Reagan’s Berlin speech is one of the most memorable and iconic speeches ever given by a president. Ronald Reagan went to West Berlin to speak to the world, but especially the people of East and West Berlin. East Berlin was under communist rule, unlike its democratic neighbors, West Berlin, and the people of East Berlin were forbidden to flee. Stopping them from doing so was a 12-foot concrete wall surrounding East Berlin with electric fencing areas. Throughout his iconic speech, Ronald Reagan used repetition and a very hopeful, and optimistic tone to rally the people of Berlin into having hope that the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, would tear down the wall.

Ronald Reagan’s frequent use of repetition was very vital to

making the speech as memorable as it was. One very effective use of repetition Reagan used comes when he says “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! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” (Reagan). This line gave the people of West Berlin chills as they erupted in cheers and cries. In the audio of this speech, it is clear to see that this line was very effectively delivered and one of the people’s favorites. He also uses repetition with the word of “freedom”. He says, “Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor.” (Reagan). This line also gets the crowd fired up, causing the people to rally together and have a sense of hope that the wall will come down soon.
Along with the powerful moments of repetition, what made them so effective for the people of West Berlin was the tone of voice Reagan used. Reagan’s voice throughout the speech was very optimistic and hopeful. This is what truly allowed the uses of repetition to be so effective and serve their purpose. Anybody that listens to the speech can see how Reagan’s hopeful tone in this speech was perfectly executed, not being overly hopeful and giving false hope or too vague and monotone, but gentle, calm and hopeful. This made him sound very wise like when he said, “I understand that it is being seen and heard as well in the East. To those listening throughout Eastern Europe, a special word: Although I cannot be with you, I address my remarks to you just as surely as to those standing here before me.” (Reagan). He came off as extremely friendly and warm by saying those words. Any device used by a speaker has to be accompanied with the right tone, or else the device will not have the wanted effect. The repetition throughout his speech was completely depending on his hopeful tone of voice, which he delivered well.
In tense speeches like the Berlin speech, it is difficult to have a perfect execution. Reagan was successful in delivering the speech because of his use of hopeful and optimistic tone, which allowed for the repetition he employed to be so successful. Any speaker can use repetition and any other rhetorical device, but its effectiveness is completely depended upon the perfect execution of tone. If the tone is off, the devices will not work. Reagan delivered on the required hopeful tone, making the speech so effective. Ronald Reagan’s Berlin speech is a major piece of German and American history and will be remembered as one of the most iconic speeches ever given.