Composition

Ronald Reagan begins his “Tear down this wall” speech by addressing Helmut Kohl, then Chancellor of West Germany and Eberhard Diepgen, then Governing Mayor of West Berlin. Like this he acknowledges his hosts and defers to them. The speech is meant to offer arguments on why the Berlin Wall should be brought down. The speech initially did not have a title, and only later became known as “Tear down this wall”, after one of its most memorable sections.

The composition of Ronald Reagan’s “Tear down this wall” speech can be split into four parts. 

In the first part, Reagan highlights the United States’ support for East Berlin. He does this by mentioning John F. Kennedy’s speech on the same topic, “Ich Bin ein Berliner”, showing that the Berlin Wall is still...