Question

But in the West today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history. In the Communist world, we see failure, technological backwardness, declining standards of health, even want of the most basic kind—too little food.

–“Tear Down This Wall” speech,
Ronald Reagan

How does the use of parallelism in this passage support Reagan’s message?

The use of parallelism repeats his most important points.
The use of parallelism highlights Reagan’s credibility as a speaker.
The use of parallelism allows Reagan to contrast democracy and communism.
The use of parallelism uses inclusive language to set the two groups apart.

Answer 1

The use of parallelism allows Reagan to contrast democracy and communism.

By mirroring the sentence structure ("In the West... we see..." / "In the Communist world... we see..."), he sets up a direct comparison—prosperity and freedom versus failure and want—making the ideological contrast sharper and more persuasive.