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Charlie Starrett
Professor Woods
English 111
4 October 2010
Writer’s Memo: The best part of this essay was all of the research involved with the project. It took me a longtime to pick the speech I was going to analyze because there are to many great speeches. Once I picked “A Time For Choosing” I enjoyed learning about the context in which the speech was given and the election of 1964. There were plenty of rhetorical techniques used throughout the speech that were clearly identifiable. Therefore, brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and writing were all easily done, but I struggled with effectively incorporating my quotes. So I made an appointment at the Howe Writing Center to work on improving the flow of my essay. Hopefully, the essay shows a clear straightforward analysis of “A Time For
Choosing”.
An Analysis of “A Time For Choosing”
Ronald Reagan’s speech “A Time For Choosing” is an extremely inspirational and powerful speech. Reagan gave the speech during the 1964 presidential election in favor of Barry
Goldwater. Reagan proved he was a masterful orator because he used a number of techniques in this speech. “A Time For Choosing” utilizes diction, hyperbole, anaphora, antithesis, logos, and pathos at various points in the speech. The speech also has warrant and a sense of kairos.
Reagan’s speech was effective because he used a number of these rhetorical techniques and methods. After this speech, Reagan’s oratory skills were widely admired which eventually earned him the nickname the Great Communicator.
At the beginning of the speech, Reagan chose a specific diction to convey his message.
His tone is clear, strong, and straightforward, however his choice of words suggests a feeling of concern. In the very first paragraph, he shares that he has “an uncomfortable feeling that this prosperity isn’t something on which we base our hopes for the future”. Reagan believes that the country is headed in the wrong direction and that America has many challenges at home and

Starrett 2 abroad. The diction changes at the end of the speech and displays an optimistic hope for the future. Reagan is hopeful because the American people have a chance this election to elect Barry
Goldwater. Reagan makes the case for Goldwater and states in his closing sentence “[w] e will keep in mind and remember that Barry Goldwater has faith in us. He has faith that you and I have the ability and the dignity and the right to make our own decisions and determine our own destiny.” Reagan’s diction expresses a clear concern for the future, yet an optimistic hope for change that he sees in Barry Goldwater. Reagan’s inspirational diction enables him to connect with the American people.
Reagan uses hyperbole to add some humor and laughter to his speech. He begins a personal story in which he explains that “two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a businessman who had escaped from Castro, and in the midst of the story one of my friends turned to the other and said, ‘We don't know how lucky we are.’ And the Cuban stopped and said, ‘How lucky you are? I had someplace to escape to.’” The United States surely isn’t the only place the refugee could have escaped to, but Reagan used the story to indicate America ideals and values. People around the world who are not as fortunate as us admire the unique combination and commitment to these values. Another hyperbole Reagan uses is when he said,
“government programs, once launched never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth”. Reagan’s humor not only makes people laugh, but makes them think about the expanding size and power of government. Reagan’s use of hyperboles showcase his ability to incorporate humor into serious issues. Humor would become a cornerstone of his oratory style known as the Reagan wit.
Towards the end of the speech, Reagan uses anaphora to emphasize a connection between himself and his audience. In the last three paragraphs of the speech, Reagan uses “You and I”

Starrett 3 four times. The use of “You and I” makes the audience feel included and makes them believe they have the same values and opinions as Reagan does. “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny” is perhaps the most famous line from the speech. People are inspired by it because
Reagan gives the American people hope for their future and their children’s future. Reagan’s use of anaphora conveys to us that we “have the ability and the dignity and the right to make our own decisions and determine our own destiny”. Anaphora is a powerful rhetorical technique that
Reagan exercises to emphasize unity among the American people.
Reagan uses antithesis to great affect in his speech to draw a sharp contrast between
Barry Goldwater and Lyndon Johnson. In the speech Reagan declares, “You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right”. The left and right divide the country and makes us weaker because we cannot find compromise. He goes on “to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There's only an up or down: [up] man's old -- old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism.
And regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course
”. Reagan frames the debate in a nonpartisan fashion and instead frames the issue in a moral and ethical way. Instead of dividing the country among party lines he tries to argue that individual freedom is morally correct. Also
Reagan draws sharp contrasts in foreign policy by using anaphora. He states that LBJ’s “policy of accommodation is appeasement, and it gives no choice between peace and war, only between fight or surrender”. Reagan believed that current policy of containing communism did not work and was morally wrong; instead he believed that communism had to be defeated. Reagan clearly defines the differences between the candidates in his speech through his use of antithesis.

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Reagan uses logos to argue for fiscal conservatism. Reagan creates a common sense argument about the fiscal reality of our nation’s fiscal policy through a combination of facts, figures, and reasoning. Reagan states that “our government continues to spend 17 million dollars a day more than the government takes in. We haven't balanced our budget 28 out of the last 34 years…. and now our national debt is one and a half times bigger than all the combined debts of all the nations of the world”. Through common sense and facts, people clearly acknowledge that our nation’s fiscal policy is unsustainable. Reagan is able to effectively communicate to the
American people that the nation is in dire financial straits. Reagan’s focus on the issues makes him seem to the people both logical and intelligent.
Pathos is another rhetorical technique used by Reagan. Reagan uses pathos when he mentions the recent escalation in Vietnam. He said, “As for the peace that we would preserve, I wonder who among us would like to approach the wife or mother whose husband or son has died in South Vietnam and ask them if they think this is a peace that should be maintained indefinitely. Do they mean peace, or do they mean we just want to be left in peace?” Reagan uses this story of the mourning mother and wife to relate the threat of communism to the existence of freedom. 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.

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Finally, the speech has both warrant and kairos. The speech has warrant because Reagan gave the speech in front of supporters of Barry Goldwater. Therefore, the audience shares the same core beliefs that Ronald Reagan is discussing with them throughout his speech. The speech has a sense of kairos because “A Time For Choosing” put Ronald Reagan in the national spotlight. Soon after, Ronald Reagan became Governor of California and would eventually become President of the United States in 1980. Historically, the election of 1964 is widely seen has the foundation for the modern conservative movement. Even though Barry Goldwater lost, the election gave Reagan a chance to display not only his oratory skills but also his values and beliefs. Reagan’s values and beliefs would become the basis of his candidacy and presidency.
For example, he believed in peace through strength, fiscal conservatism, limited government, family values, and economic freedom. All of these beliefs were reflected in the policies he promoted during his governorship and presidency. “A Time For Choosing” gave Reagan an excellent opportunity to express himself to the American people.
Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest orators of the late 20 th century. “A Time For
Choosing” was his first national speech in politics that showed his ability to speak and his unique rhetorical style. In “A Time For Choosing” Reagan used a variety of techniques to indicate to the
American people that Barry Goldwater was the best choice for president in 1964. Reagan’s use of rhetorical devices helped him draw sharp differences between Barry Goldwater and Lyndon
Johnson. “A Time For Choosing” is truly an inspirational speech that established Ronald Reagan as the Great Communicator and would catapult him into our nation’s highest office.

Works Citied
Reagan, Ronald. "A Time For Choosing." Rendezvous with Destiny.
RNC. 27 Oct 1964. Address. Online.
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