(2) Sea Level

Yes, dropping in some poetry at the end there was a bold move, but it's not like Reagan was reciting "The Jabberwocky." (Also, that would have been pretty weird.)

The speech is pretty straightforward. A main concern of its author, Peggy Noonan, was to make it accessible to all audiences. It combines clear wording—even if it is a tad poetic at times—with an appeal to emotional response.

And if it made you a little bit misty-eyed, good. That's what it was supposed to do. And that kinda proves you're human: we're talking about the deaths of some heroic astronauts here.