Rhetorical Analysis Of Fdr's Pearl Harbor Address

On December 7th 1942, the day before Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) delivered his speech to Congress to ask them to go to war with Japan, The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Over 2000 American lives were lost from one of the most deceptive attacks the United States of America has ever undergone. FDR’s central purpose of his “Pearl Harbor address to the nation” speech is to try to persuade Congress to go to war with Japan. He develops this argument through characterizing japan and the nature of attack, showing the extent and danger of the attack, Reassuring the public and at the same time builds support, finally by his use of rhetoric.

The first warning sign was the tension between the U.S and Japan over China. During the 1920s, Japan became hostile to China and wanted to dominate China. They also had a “special interest” in Manchuria. While the U.S was technically neutral, it was apparent to most of the world that she was against Japan’s domineering ways. The U.S wanted China to be free, and to conduct business freely with her. James Rusbridger and Eric Nave in Betrayal at Pearl Harbor: How Churchill Lured Roosevelt into World War II said, “America’s neutrality received a nasty setback on the morning of 12 December 1937, when the USS Panay was deliberately bombed by the Japanese aircraft, killing two seamen and an Italian journalist” (((Rusbridger and Nave, p.73))). According to Rusbridger and Nave, the Panay incident was most likely done to test the U.S. The President at that time was Franklin D. Roosevelt, and he responded by accepting

“December, 1941, a date which will live in infamy …. no matter how long it may take to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.” This famous quotation from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech was used to show that America is strong and nothing would stop America until it has absolute victory. In President Roosevelt's’ speech, he used ethos, pathos, and logos to show how Japan was a threat to America and to assure the nation that it can overcome any obstacles if the people work together.

The famous speech, Pearl Harbor address to the nation by Franklin D. Roosevelt (president at the time) shows us a vast amount of rhetorical appeals: Pathos, Ethos, and Logos to the nation. This speech announced to us that the intended audience and the persuasion used in order to change the peoples’ minds to defend our nation. The Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation speech was given to tell the U.S. that Japan has initiated war by attacking Oahu, Hawaii; while also attacking islands on the Pacific coast. Roosevelt addressed to the nation the stance we must take in order to protect ourselves from Japan and from attacks in the future. It was also revealed that Japan deliberately planned and attacked Hawaii do to the distance between each other. The Japanese ambush caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. It was then that America made a move to attack the Japanese Empire on December 8, 1941.

Hours after Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan, gaining worldwide headlines, giving millions unanswered questions, the speech, Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation was given one day after the event. On December 8th 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a speech to be remembered today, by using rhetorical devices and figurative language to strongly picture his message to the public, making great use of parallel structure, personification, parallelism, and climax ordering to enforce his key point of wanting Americans to stand up against the Japanese forces for the deliberate actions done towards there peaceful country, with no threat or hint of war or of an armed attack. With hopes of gathering support for the decision to declare war on Japan.

The famous speech Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation by Franklin D. Roosevelt shows us a vast amount of rhetorical appeals: Pathos, Ethos, and Logos to the nation. The speech given by Franklin D. Roosevelt shows us the intended audience and the persuasion used in order to change the peoples’ minds to defend our nation. Let’s begin with the Pathos for this particular speech.

Introduction: December 7 1941 marked a significant date, when the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the United States Naval base, Pearl Harbour. The day after the attack, on December 8 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt presented his Infamy Speech to American civilians stating that; “Yesterday, December 7th 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. I asked that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on December 7 1941”. The purpose of this report is to show that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had no prior knowledge about the surprise attack supported by historical evidence in comparison to Robert Stinnett’s thoughts, the American journalist and former sailor that knew about the Japanese planning a attack on Pearl Harbour in advance.

“December 7th 1941- A date that will live in infamy.” This opening statement is the first powerful line said by President Roosevelt to the American people after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This greatness of this opening line will be forever be ingrained in the minds of every American citizen, especially the people who lived during the most significant war of the 20th century. The bombing of Pearl Harbor is an event that can never be forgotten, and President Roosevelt’s speech in response to this appalling attack is just as significant. The objective of this speech was to urge Congress to declare war on Japan. Roosevelt’s speech after Pearl Harbor is one of the more recognizable and important speeches in all of American history. His speech incorporates bountiful instances of rhetorical devices, such as logos, pathos, and ethos. By analyzing these rhetorical devices, one is able to see Roosevelt’s vigorous use of emotion, his strength in addressing his character and reputation rather than focusing too heavily upon appeals to logic and reason, ultimately to get the result he wants from his audience. The profound power of this speech resonates with all who read and hear it.

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941- a date which will live in infamy- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” (1). These are the words Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose to begin his Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. FDR’s speech was a call to arms, and in his speech he expressed outrage towards Japan and confidence in inevitable triumph. The speech was a request to declare war against Japan and to bring the United States into World War II. FDR’s speech was successful in bringing the United States into World War II because FDR presented facts explaining why war needed to be declared and used righteous indignation

Pearl Harbor, the horrific event taking place in Hawaii on December 7th of 1941, was largely devastating to the United States; it led to a heavy depletion of war supplies, ships, and American soldiers. The attack on Pearl Harbor came as a surprise and it was up to our commander in chief, Franklin D. Roosevelt, to stay calm and deal with the harsh matters in an orderly fashion. In these times his leadership is critical; he makes sure that his decisions are intelligent as he takes an American disaster and generates the growth of this nation as a national super power. This viewpoint is demonstrated by Steven M. Gillon who successfully provides various compelling examples of FDR’s leadership in a time of great disaster. Gillon effectively shows the actions taken and decisions made to lead the country through difficult hardship; with this he provides an enticing account of the various complications it takes to lead a country in situations of great despair while proving the anti-American theories about FDR to be false.

On December 8, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a speech to congress declaring that December 7, 1941 would be “a date which will live in infamy.” He goes on to ask congress to declare war on Japan. In his speech to congress he called Japan’s attack “deliberate deception". After the attack many

On the day after, President Roosevelt stood before Congress, and, after declaring December 7, 1941 to be a "date that will live in infamy", he urged that a declaration of war be issued. Meanwhile, half a world away, the Japanese celebrated their victory, but Yamamoto wondered out loud whether the attack had been the best thing, saying, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." Indeed the Pearl Harbor air raid united the American people in a way that no other event in the 20th century did.

The December 9, 1941 address by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is still known as one of the most famous speeches of all times. This speech was broadcasted world-wide from the White House Oval Room, today known as the Oval Office. The speech was delivered by President Roosevelt at 10:00 p.m. Washington D.C. time, which was 9:00 p.m. Texas time and 11:00 a.m. in Europe, making the perfect time to reach almost everyone. Although President Roosevelt was broadcasting world-wide it began with “My Fellow Americans”, telling us the speech was intended for Americans even those stationed in other countries. This famous speech occurred just two days after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and was given due to the immorality effects that have occurred in the Pacific.

Then, on December 7, 1941, Japanese carrier-based airplanes surprisingly struck Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and sprung the United States into the war. In a raid lasting less than two hours, they sank or seriously damaged eight battleships and thirteen other naval vessels. This surprise attack also destroyed a large portion of the American warplanes stationed on the airfield and took the lives of thousands. No discretion was apparent on this morning as both military and civilian personnel unexpectedly faced a barrage of Japanese fighter planes raining fire down among the ships in the harbor and among the surrounding fields. All in all, nearly 2,400 American lives were lost on this day in which President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared, “a date that will live in infamy”. The Japanese hoped to cripple the American fleet in which they perceived as the principle threat to victory in a war against the United States.

A very famous line from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech, “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation,” was the quote, “December 7th 1941, A date that will live in infamy.” This quote will always be remembered by Americans’ because it was said during a time of major grievance and worry. This speech was given a day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and led America to entering World War Two. FDR’s use of Pathos, Ethos and Logos was extremely successful in pushing America to declare war on the Japanese.