Many speeches, especially political type speeches, follow Pericles’ “Funeral Oration”.23 These pathos-based speeches are called Ceremonial or Epideictic speeches as they heavily rely on pathos for effect. Some writers have called them ‘special occasion’ or ‘neck-tie’ speeches. They differ from the ‘visionary’ speeches in that a visionary message is something that doesn’t exist at the time when the speech is given. It is a vision of the future, so it greatly depends on the level of the speaker’s personal and professional credibility (Ethos). For such speeches to be effective, we have to trust the speaker.
Our political system does not compete with institutions which are elsewhere in force. We do not copy our neighbours, but try to be an example. Our administration favours the many instead of the few: this is why it is called a democracy. The laws afford equal justice to all alike in their private disputes, but we do not ignore the claims of excellence. When a citizen distinguishes himself, then he will be called to serve the state, in preference to others, not as a matter of privilege, but as a reward of merit : and poverty is no bar.
(Pericles’ Funeral Oration)
This pathos driven model is useful for very special occasions, such as when a dead person is being honoured, in political or in a crisis situations. It is, in many ways, as if a public ritual were taking place. In business, it can be used in a ‘change’ situation, or when some special occasion demands us to lift our speech onto a higher plane.
We will look at two famous political type speeches, President Ronald Reagan’s ‘Challenger’ speech and Lincoln’s ‘Gettysburg Address’, which, I think, are good examples. The rules for arrangement (the second canon of rhetoric) simply follow a six or seven points that are relevant to the message. Each point follows from the other. These ‘pathos-based’ deductive speeches are very often used by politicians. It is the emotional effect of the speech on the audience that propels the speech.
Pathos Model (6 to 8 paragraphs only)
First paragraph
Second paragraph
Third paragraph
Fouth paragraph
Fifth paragraph
Sixth paragraph
(about 350 to 400 words)
‘The Challenger’ Speech
President Reagan delivered this speech on 28 January 1986 on the occasion of the ‘Challenger’ disaster.24 In place of his ‘State of the Union’ address, which was due that evening, the President instead, capturing the mood of the country, addressed the people on the tragedy that had just occurred. The speech in many ways, as we said above, followed Pericles’ ‘Funeral Oration’ which was delivered in honour of those who died in the Pelopennesian War (431 B.C.). Both of these speeches have also much in common with Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which we will briefly look at later. Let us study President Reagan’s speech and comment on each part.
1. President Reagan begins by mentioning his topic immediately.
Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground.
2. He continues by identifying the nature of the sacrifice or contribution that has been made.
But, we’ve never lost an astronaut in flight; we’ve never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we’ve forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly.
3. He then goes on to identify the people who are being honoured. He actually names the people. These are the people who have died in the ‘Challenger’ disaster. In this way, he focussed from the beginning on his topic and so creates a formality directly.
We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.
4. He speaks firstly to one special segment of his audience, the families of the dead. He identifies the emotional stakes involved by using such a phrase as ‘give me a challenge and I’ll meet it with joy’.
For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, ‘Give me a challenge and I’ll meet it with joy.’ They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.
5. Then he clearly tells his whole audience why this sacrifice or contribution is important.
We’ve grown used to wonders in this century. It’s hard to dazzle us. But for twenty‑five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we’ve only just begun. We’re still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.
6. He then speaks directly to the schoolchildren and asks them to join him in honouring the dead. He links what the ‘Challenger’ people have done to the American way of life.
“And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle’s takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It is all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It is all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them”.
7. He then links the sacrifice or contribution to a higher cause or to a greater tradition. He uses the analogy with Drake who died 390 years before. (Most Americans, of course, do not think of Drake as a pirate).
There’s a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, ‘He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.’ Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake’s, complete.
8. The President emphasises that the crew honoured us, Americans, by their deeds and we will never forget. This is an action-type appeal based on emotions – we are nearly honour bound not to forget the crew. Finally, he concludes with a quote from a young unknown poet (John Magee), which lifts the speech onto a higher plane.
“The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honoured us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God”.
In Part 2, we shall look at two sample speeches: Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and a speech given in honour of Mother Theresa of Calcutta at IESE Business School some years ago.
[1] All references are given at the end of Part 2