Rhetorical Analysis Of General Douglas Macarthur's Farewell Address

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.

The fear of killing and being killed in battle is no easy thing to contemplate or to inspire. Inspiring soldiers to participate earnestly in battle is crucial to winning wars. Approaches to accomplish this have been studied and tried by military leaders for millennia. George S. Patton attempted this very thing in his speech to the Third Army. Patton delivered a profane and vulgar speech to untried soldiers who have yet to see combat. Patton is able to inspire his soldiers by using his reputation while dismantling his authority, using obscene humor, and appealing to their sense of honor and courage.

This is a rhetorical analysis of Lieutenant General George S. Patton’s Speech to the Third United States Army. It was a very successful speech given to the troops of the United States Third Army in 1944 before the invasion of France. After examining the genre, purpose of this speech, General Patton’s audience, and how General Patton used ethos, logos, and pathos we can see why this iconic speech was so successful.

Ronald Reagan, the former 40th president of the United States died on June 5th of 2004. A couple of days later on the 11th, Margaret Thatcher the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, wrote an eulogy for Ronald Reagan. In this eulogy, Thatcher uses rhetorical strategies to convince her readers into believing what she states. She uses the strategies of parallelism, pathos and diction to get her message out and to help her reader receive it. And thus Thatcher can convince her readers into believing what she says.

The use of Pathos in this speech are used in a way that affects everyone’s emotions do to the attack on Oahu, Hawaii. Here’s an example of pathos in the speech given: “The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost (Franklin D. Roosevelt).” Roosevelt stated that the attack caused severe damage to our military forces, which affected the military emotional and physically as well as the citizens. The president also stated that a vast number of Americans were lost, which would appeal to the emotions of the nation. With Roosevelt’s statements the U.S. people are now feeling unsecure whereas the president wants to go to war to show other nations that we will defend ourselves. Another example would be, “The United States was at peace with that nation (Japan).” After hearing the speech, this quote would also become a part of Pathos, therefore, people’s emotions are starting to rise up do to the fact that Japan attacked the U.S. when we had a peace treaty.

Military general for the United States army, George S. Patton in his speech, “Speech to the Third Army” motivates troops to be prepared to fight for D-Day. According to the National D-day Memorial website, America was fighting Nazi-Germany in World War II, on this day America and on D-day theother allied countries were going to invade Germany with over 150,000 men. Patton was the Army Ggeneral whothat grew up in a military based family, and he was known to be brutal and strict and sometimes even overbearing. This made him a well respected and feared man. The purpose of his D-day speech was to instill masculinity and pride in his soldiers and, to create unity with the troops so they can fight alongside each other. It was extremely

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941’” began President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the day following Japan’s fateful attack on Pearl Harbor, resulting in the in the tragic loss of nearly two and a half thousand American lives. A date so famously proclaimed to ‘forever live in infamy,’ and so it has. This inspiring speech to Congress and the American people employed appeals and other techniques in it’s mission to touch America’s heart, both with sympathy and indignation. President Roosevelt’s use of rhetoric is extremely effective in rallying the American people to the cause of entering a war so many were reluctant to support.

The Farewell Address embodied Washington’s political principles and hopes for the United States, a newly developed nation, to grow strong and remain independent. He stressed the importance of national unity. Despite the confidence Washington had for his country to continue to thrive without his leadership, he felt obligated to forewarn the American people and future generations the greatest dangers, or threats, to the United States. Washington believed threats such as political parties, and associations with foreign alliances could weaken the nation. Today, it is believed that the Farewell Address is a prophetic warning for contemporary politics.

In reminding his audience of how America became what it is today, MacArthur urges his audience to remember to maintain the status of America and keep the country united through the moral code. His message, illustrated by the moral code of “Duty, Honor, Country”, is underscored through a repetition of these key terms throughout MacArthur’s speech. This repetition expresses the importance of citizens remembering the code, for its definition reveals the method for America’s survival. American citizens and soldiers should always remember that this code is our main priority, for it will keep us united no matter the conditions. Only memorizing the code, however, is not sufficient. MacArthur’s

“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

On January 11, 1989, President Ronald Reagan sat at his desk in the Oval Office to address his nation for the final time. This rhetorical moment was not the first of its kind. Rather, the Farewell Address is a Presidential tradition, started by George Washington, that every president takes part in before leaving office. As a sort of “goodbye” to the nation, the President discusses the accomplishments of his administration while offering pieces of advice for the future. Washington warned against a government with an “unmoderated” political party system (Spalding 75), Ronald Reagan warned of the effects of an America devoid of patriotism.

President Roosevelt helps appeal to the audience’s emotions through the use of pathos to unite them in the war effort. Throughout the speech Roosevelt states the events of the prior night in chronological order to inform the American people of the tragedy at hand. He goes on to explain the severity of the attack and how it left many American lives affected. The speech states, “The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost.” By stating the obvious loss of lives at

The purpose of this speech is meant for General Douglas Macarthur to say farewell to his contemporaries and fellow soldiers and his military career. He was given the chance to voice his

Ronald Reagan, in his speech, (“Berlin Wall”, 1987), the former governor and President of the United States and at the time of the Cold War, “ the most magnetic public figure in the nation”(encyclopedia.com) elucidates to his audience the consequences of residing under the influence of the Soviet Union. Reagan supports his assertion through the use of various rhetorical devices to generate logos, ethos, and pathos. His purpose is to incite a feeling of an injustice done to the people of Berlin and Soviet Allies and to bring down the Berlin Wall as “the most visible symbol of the decades-long Cold War”(History.com) between the Americans and the Soviets during the Cold War. Reagan writes in perfervid tone generated toward the people of Berlin and other Soviet allies in hopes of bringing the Cold War to an end and it is reported by CBS News that he successfully “bolstered the morale of the pro-democracy movement in East Germany”(Brinkley).

In his farewell address to the American people, President Dwight David Eisenhower enumerated his fears for the country. More than this, he told the American people that it was their responsibility to be vigilant, to ensure that the government acted for the betterment of the American people and not for the politicians who held office. During this address, President Eisenhower gave a warning to both the citizens of the United States and to the leaders of the nation. It is all too easy to fall into patterns and to allow for others to acquire power beyond the parameters of what is either fair or just. The only means of fighting the potential challengers of freedom and justice both within and without the United States is vigilance and dedication to independence and personal freedoms.