Question

Distinguish Among Fact, Opinion, and Reasoned Judgment When Reagan says, "freedom is the victor," is that a fact, an opinion, or a reasoned judgment? Cite evidence from the speech to support your answer.

Answer 1

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

When Reagan said, "freedom is the victor," that was an opinion. It was not a fact or a reasoned judgment because he was using Pathos, the appeal to emotion to try to convince his audience.

To better understand this answer, we have to read the whole idea he tried to express in the paragraph of his speech: "After these four decades, then, there stands before the entire world one great and inescapable conclusion: Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor."

Reagan tried to convince Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev through rhetoric and the use of Pathos, to tear down the Berlin Wall.

The "Tear Down the Wal" speech was delivered by US President Ronald Reagan on June 12, 1987, in Berlin.