Pentad Analysis of President Reagan S Speech

¶ … Ronald Reagan's Evil Empire Speech

President Ronald Reagan made the Evil Empire speech at a time when the United States was experiencing several challenges and issues. Some of these challenges include growing tension of nuclear arms race, increased controversy about abortion, and high infanticide rates in 1982. The president decided to address these issues through a speech that was made during the Annual Convention of the National Association of Evangelicals in 1983. In his speech, President Reagan proclaimed the need to lessen the number of nuclear weapons in the country and the Soviet Union, illegalize abortion, and enact harsh punishment for infanticide. To convey his message and view, President Reagan utilized Biblical references as well as logos and pathos to support his viewpoint. The speech, which is commonly known as the Evil Empire speech, is one of the most remarkable speeches made by a president in America's history.

Kenneth Burke developed the pentad, which is a means for identifying motive and rooted in the concept of dramatism. Dramatism is a term that Burke gives to the examination of human motivation through the use of terms obtained from the study of drama. Burke utilized drama on the premise that drama acts as a model on how communication works since people create and convey messages in a similar manner as a play is presented (Montana State University, p.45). Moreover, people use rhetoric to present a specific viewpoint of the world similar to the manner a play shows certain world inhabited by characters involved in the play's setting.

Using Burke's model, the agent or character in President Reagan's evil empire speech is "evil Russians" in the Soviet Union since they engaged in increased development of nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union is considered as evil because they would not verify and comply with efforts to reduce nuclear weapons' production but continue generating these weapons in secret. Therefore, President Reagan portrays the United States as a more morally upright nation that the "evil Soviet Union." Since President Reagan's motive for the speech is centered on character or agent i.e. the Soviet Union, his corresponding philosophy is idealism.

President's Reagan's actions during and after making the speech are significantly influenced by his view of the world, especially his perception of the Soviet Union. In this case, President Reagan believes that Americans are good while the Russians or Soviets are evil. This perspective was driven by the fact that the Soviets are seemingly immutable and inherently evil, which implies that they cannot be considered as potential friends. In addition, the president's view on abortion is influenced by his religious background since he utilizes Biblical references to support his arguments. President Reagan's view on abortion is based on traditional values, religious belief, and practices of the Christian faith. These beliefs are also used to shape President Reagan's view on infanticide rates where he claims that America's moral base is rooted in God and Christian practices.