Mr. Attlee's Speech

A president who led the United States out of the great depression into a new world and then through a terrorist attack to be know to have given the most memorable speech of the United States history is named Franklin Roosevelt. On December 7th, 1941,Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan and the following day Roosevelt stood in front of the United States suggesting to declare war on Japan for their actions. Within Roosevelt’s speech he uses the audience’s emotion to bring them together against Japan with anger but also with hope. Then Roosevelt goes into the facts that are leading the country into danger to try and get congress to declare war; Roosevelt’s use of logos becomes a model for other speeches, like Bush’s speech after 9/11. Finally, Roosevelt is determined to show how unethical Japan was during the attack and how declaring war is truly moral to protect the country. Roosevelt’s infamous speech strives to bring the nation into unity to declare war on Japan through emotion, reason and virtues.

Being an American today can mean different things to different people but for me it means to have respect for religion and hope for better days through better ways.Thomas Paine and William Bradford give examples of how they modeled america to be the way it is today. The two passages I am going to be quoting are going to be “The Crisis” by Thomas Paine and “Of Plymouth Plantation” by William Bradford.

On the brink of war, with the enemy force appearing impenetrable and unstoppable, new Prime Minister Winston Churchill has the daunting task to rally parliament to enter the war. While speaking to the House of Commons, the representing body in the United Kingdom, he must not only create a lasting impression, but illustrate the logistics of the meeting as well as the dire importance of victory for the Allies. He opens with the immediate facts to answer any of the parliament’s doubts or concerns, then he focuses his attention to unity and expands his audience to the entire country of the United Kingdom to express the sentiment of unity and the importance of the call to arms.

During the first year of World War II Winston Churchill is recommended by the former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain as his replacement going on to win the election; becoming Prime Minister that following Friday. Before then, Churchill was not a popular person amongst the Members of Parliament due to mistakes made in World War I Nearly all of whom publicly denounced him, some going as far as to publicly mock and heckle his election speeches because of his record of making hasty rash decisions. However, Churchill managed to change the political atmosphere around him with a short, but powerful speech. “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat” uses masterful diction, repetition, and structure to keep his address to the assembled group of the House of Lords and Commons brief and informative, while indicating the importance of haste to achieve victory.

In his acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention on June 27, 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt mentioned many challenges and concerns facing the United States during that time period. In his speech the President used short-hand phrases, brief references, and pejorative naming to make his larger, political and ideological points. FDR used terms like ‘economic royalists’, along with phrases like ‘new despotism wrapped in the robes of legal sanctions’, to identify the large corporations, investors and employers, who according to him are trying to influence policies and control the government for their own personal benefits. The President also uses phrases like ‘Necessitous men are not free men’, to reiterate his concerns and to point out how the working people of America are being deprived from their rights by these very same privileged employers. FDR compares 1936 to 1776, referring to the American Revolution and its significance in putting the power back in the hands of the average Americans, and how it is necessary to check the power of the corporations in order to protect the interests of the American people and restore the power back in the hands of the people.

In class we were shown a recording of the speech, “A call to men”. The first thing I noticed was the title, which made me immediately assume it was going to be a female speaker that was going to speak about feminism; or something along those lines. To see a man giving the speech grabbed my attention instantly. The man giving the speech was Tony Porter, and his audience was mostly women, who made me think, “Is this guy going to be giving a speech about feminism?” While listening to his speech I felt guilty for being quick to judge, because his speech was actually about growing up as a male, and being masculine is today’s society. While Tony Porter was giving his speech, he brought up stories that without a doubt every guy in our class could relate to that left many of us saying, “Wow”.

The speech “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?” was spoken, by Frederick Douglas, to the supporters and abolitionists at the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Fourth of July. In his speech Frederick Douglas speaks heavily on the subject of abolitioning slavery. Frederick Douglas provides comparisons and analogies, appeals to the audience 's logic, and appeals to the audience’s emotion in order to convince the audience to more vigorously fight for the abolition of slavery.

Churchill had to change this negative view of him. Before Great Britain became an active player in World War II, the newly appointed Prime Minister had to turn the public opinion to his favor. Churchill knowingly lunged into this unfortunate period of time and the rest of Great Britain had all eyes on him to see what he would do. On May 13, 1940, Churchill delivered his famously eloquent I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat speech. This speech incited patriotism and unity among the masses, giving Churchill his much needed support and credibility. “Churchill was not just rallying the nation. He also needed to stabilize his own position.(Ricks, pg. 93)” Churchill’s overruling of

President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered on the most famous and fascinating speeches in American history on March 15 1965. The speech was inspired over the situation that occurred in Selma, Alabama one week earlier. African Americans were protesting over voting rights, as due to manipulation of the voting system by whites. The purpose of President Johnson’s speech was to convince Congress and Americans to pass his bill on voting reformation. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s speech is rhetorically effective, by using strategies such as kairos, pathos, logos and ethos.

Throughout the course history many people have spoken out in criticism of the unbalance of one’s basic rights for a specific demographic, whether it be depending on one’s race gender or sexuality. In America, The African American population are a leading example of this struggle as for them, it still persists to this day. In 1895, Booker T. Washington, A civil rights leader who was born into slavery but was later granted freedom after slavery was abolished, gave his famous speech known as “The Atlanta Compromise.” a speech that unlike more modern speech takes a more passive tone in its explanation due the limitations of the time period. While this may be a big shift from what were used to, this doesn’t take away from the impact of his message. His warning to the white populous of the south, that if they don’t include the African-American demographic, 1-3 of the population at the time, their economy will suffer.

During Thomas Paine speech, “The Crisis No. 1” colonists had to decide whether to live under the British rules or fight for their own freedom, what if the colonists thought about the idea about fighting back, but it was too late to make a decision and British has already taken over, Would America be different now? During this time period colonists were struggling throughout the Revolutionary War along with the Stamp Act, Tea Party, Lexington and concord until Thomas Paine released the Common Sense and the colonists left relieved. In “The Crisis No. 1” by Thomas Paine, he uses pathos to encourage parents and families to protect their young ones and hoped for them to fight in the war.

Winston Churchill’s headstrong resiliency in the face of danger defined his career as a war leader. Former Prime Minister David Cameron states,” He was an incredible leader for our country, and indeed for the whole free world, at an impossibly difficult time.” (1). Five months before his inauguration, Churchill gave his speech “House of Many Mansions” wherein he urged the then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and other world

In Winston Churchill’s speech, ‘We Shall Fight On the Beaches’ he presents a powerful call to action directly to the British House of Commons in the year of 1940 on the forth of June. Winston uses the techniques of figurative language to capture his audience’s attention in a way they could understand the importance of his message, without disregarding his high level of intellect. In order for one to truly understand Churchill’s message one must understand the difficult task he was coined with prior to delivering this powerful message.

Queen Elizabeth wrote an inspiring speech to the Troops who fought for the Armada about their honor and power over this astonishing war. Alongside, Winston Churchill delivered a majestical yet powerful speech about the issue dealing with battle of Britain and the unifications needing to be healed. Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill both delivered exhilarating speeches to their troops and counties with the battle of Britain. The Queen delivers her speech to the courageous group of men and women who fought this rigid, enduring war. While Winston delivers his speech to the House of Commons. While analyzing and juxtaposing these two speeches and their contrastive audiences; it is very mere to see the compelling diction, dynamic emotion used in their speeches.

The year was 1940; the world’s second great World War was in full swing, with Britain and Germany at the forefront. The fall of Britain’s closest ally, France, stunned the British Empire and threw it into disarray. Through the chaos, Winston Churchill emerged. Churchill would be an inspiring leader who was able to rally the entire nation in times of hardship. Through his leadership, the “British Bulldog” would face the Axis powers and come out victorious, as well as become a public hero for the British people. Yet, immediately after the war, Churchill did not return to the prime minister seat because of a shocking defeat in his re-election, despite his immense reputation he gained from the war. Though lauded by the British population for his prowess as a wartime leader, Churchill’s conservative politics were out of touch with a population ready for post-war relief and led to his defeat in the 1945 election.