Page 24 - SpringBoard_CloseReading_Workshop_Grade7_Flipbook

11 Our military strength is a prerequisite to peace, but let it be clear we maintain this strength in the hope it will never be used, for the ultimate determinant in the struggle that’s now going on in the world will not be bombs and rockets, but a test of wills and ideas, a trial of spiritual resolve, the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish, the ideals to which we are dedicated.
12 Well, the task I’ve set forth will long outlive our own generation. But together, we too have come through the worst. Let us now begin a major effort to secure the best — a crusade for freedom that will engage the faith and fortitude of the next generation. For the sake of peace and justice, let us move toward a world in which all people are at last free to determine their own destiny.
Check your Understanding
Now that you have read the speech closely and worked to understand challenging portions of this passage, choose a sentence that you think is important in supporting one or more of the claims made in Reagan’s argument. Explain in your own words what the sentence means and why it is important to supporting the claims made in the speech.
Synthesizing your Understanding
Now that you have read the passage three times and studied its vocabulary and sentences, synthesize your understanding by examining the elements of speaker, subject, purpose, and tone. Respond to the following questions as a way of bringing all your knowledge together.
Speaker: What do we know about the person delivering the speech? What is his perspective on the subject?
Subject: What is the general topic of this speech and its main ideas?
Close Reading Workshop 2 • Close Reading of Argumentative Nonfiction Texts 23
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