Score: 8

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This essay effectively analyzes Thatcher's strategies, demonstrating an awareness of how the historical moment and a sense of audience shapes her rhetoric. From the outset, the student makes judicious use of contextual information not provided in the passage (e.g., discussion of the Cold War and the "Red Scare") to show how Thatcher's rhetorical choices are calculated to celebrate Reagan's achievements while solidifying the ties between Britain and the United States. For example, the student effectively integrates knowledge of historical context with analysis of Thatcher's strategies by linking public doubts about Reagan ("Even before his presidency, there were people that thought he wouldn't be capable of leading a nation in a time of crisis") to a series of juxtapositions that illustrate the triumph of Reagan's optimism ("Thatcher juxtaposes thinking and prediction with what actually happened"). The student's analysis is further distinguished by the insight that Thatcher's eulogy not only is a personal remembrance but also serves the purpose of "creating a stronger alliance between the two nations": for instance, the student notes that "by constantly referencing the Soviet Union as the 'evil empire,'" Thatcher implies "similarities in thinking between the Americans and British." In spite of occasional lapses, the essay consistently shows control of the elements of effective writing and thereby earned a score of 8.

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