A Rhetorical Analysis Of 'The Duties Of American Citizenship'

To begin, one rhetorical device Eleanor Roosevelt uses in her speech is the anaphora. For example, she states,“But we know that we have to work together and we have to progress” In this passage Eleanor repeats the phrase, “we have to” in order to emphasize the fact that not only should one

The Pearl Harbor address to the nation is probably one of the most famous speeches made throughout time. In this essay I will evaluate the rhetorical effectiveness of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's famous speech and show that his speech is a successful argument for the United States of America. I will focus on the speaker's credibility, all the different appeals made throughout the speech, as well as the purpose and the audience of the speech. Also, I will discuss whether or not there are any logical fallacies that may have weakened his speech.

The repetition gives this passage significance and makes it stand out,

Citizenship can be defined as the position or status of being a citizen in a particular country (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). This definition is not very broad, nor does it cover the many aspects of citizenship that exist in the 21st century. It is not only about being a legal citizen of a particular country, it is also about being a social citizen. You can be a citizen of Australia but choose to live elsewhere for the majority of your life. In terms of citizenship it is relevant on a political and social level. If you are actively contributing to the country in which you live in some ways you are fulfilling your duties as a citizen.

“Citizenship is so much more than a piece of paper, it’s a guide to live your life”

Furthermore, in the speech, repetition is used by repeating the main points of his speech. For example “No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness...” is said and them shortly after he repeats “No animal in England is free”. He uses repetition to emphasise his meaning to his speech. But repetition can be ironic as he repeats things due to his old age.

FDR has molded his whole speech so it mostly aims for an emotional (pathos) response from Congress and the American people. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt incorporated pathos into his speech when he said, “Our people, our territory, and our interests”. Using such phrasings gave the audience a feeling of togetherness with both the government and themselves. That kind of outlook was necessary so that FDR could bring in troops and also rally up patriotism from the citizens so that hope would not be lost. It

The first rhetorical appeal that President Roosevelt uses in this speech is ethos. The ethos in Roosevelt’s speech is quite apparent. As the President of the United States, he is already viewed as a credible source for information. Roosevelt provides a significant number of details pertaining to the attack on Pearl Harbor and other attacks that the Japanese carried out in conjunction with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, further establishing his ethos as a good source of information. By sharing additional details about the events of December 7th, it lends credibility to what he was saying about the bombings of Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt also strengthens his ethos by flaunting his sizeable vocabulary, “[A] date which will live in infamy... / [A]t the solicitation of Japan... / [T]his premeditated invasion...” By Roosevelt’s determination to use these vigorous words, he is hinting at the fact that he is indubitably well educated, which adds to his credibility. Roosevelt also tells everyone,”As the commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have

He uses amplification by repeating the word truth for emphasis during his speech“to speak the truth, the whole truth” (“American Rhetoric: Franklin Delano Roosevelt - First Inaugural Address”). Furthermore, he used pathos ,a quality that evokes pity or sadness, by asserting that he was going through the same difficulties as his people. The wording that was used was“ we face our common difficulties”(“American Rhetoric: Franklin Delano Roosevelt - First Inaugural Address”). When his audience had heard that sentence they may have felt the sympathy with him because they were battling the same obstacles as he was. Nevertheless, he gave an inspirational speech by continuing

Citizenship is defined as a being a citizen or a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state. Citizen preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people. The concept of which in one of its earliest was given to us by the Romans, who had just began to understand the importance of a populace contributing to the decisions of its own fate. Modern American citizenship as we know it today was defined for us in the constitution of this nation by the founding fathers. Citizenship as they had envisioned it even back then was not free, but came with a price. A citizen was

For example in paragraph 36, King uses the phrase “In the midst…” multiple times repeatedly when explaining his argument. This repetitiveness brings out the argument more powerfully, and also shows King’s inner passion. Also another example in paragraph 45, King uses the phrase “I doubt that you…” repeatedly. This repetitiveness brings out the argument more powerfully, and also shows the corrupt society that King and his people go through. This shows the brutality is very legitimate, and exposes the cruel reality to the public. This also proves the clergymen’s account in their letter to be wrong as the police force did not handle the situations surrounding the peaceful revolts peacefully but violently. This creates the much needed tension and furthers his argument. Repetitiveness like this brings attention to the argument, showing the ample examples of experiences one has to present to the reader. Overall, this strategy really shows the reader the power of an argument. Repetitiveness like this brings attention to the argument, showing the ample examples of experiences one has to present to the reader. Overall, this strategy really shows the reader the power of an

2. A very prominent theme that Roosevelt uses throughout his speech is the contrast between good and evil.

Today the Society is split into three separately minded groups. In no specific ordering, the first is determined to believe that any one person born in the United States is a citizen and which means their parents should become citizens along with them. These are the ones whom obtain “birthright citizenship” (Raul). The second are firm believers in the only ones that should be citizens are the ones who go through the proper process of becoming a citizen and according to the article in “USA today,” it states that illegal immigrants are “having babies as a way to obtain citizenship,” which too many Americans “cheapens the whole idea of being American”. The last group is the “other” the ones whom are completely neutral or believe in the

For several years, politicians and leaders have talked about and debated over immigrants living in the United States without the proper documentation that declare them a citizen of the States. Many of these immigrants have started families and lived in the United States for many years. Some of these immigrants were brought and raised in the United States as babies and have only known this country since a young age. In the dictionary a citizen is, “a native or naturalized person who owes allegiance to a government and is entitled to protection from it” (“Citizen”). An enormous amount of immigrants considers themselves as citizens of the U.S. because they were raised on U.S. soil and not the country they were born from. However, politicians

Showing a good sense of patriotism is what citizenship means to me. We can show our patriotism by showing our support in our military. Standing by what they are fighting for because our military have sacrificed many lives in defending our country. Showing them that we care about their well-being is one way of being a good citizen. We can also show a good sense of patriotism by showing respect on our countries flag. Standing up and saluting the flag during general assembly or singing our national anthem shows our deepest respect on our nation’s colors and those who have died defending them. Finally coming together as one for the greater good of everyone also shows a good