Rhetorical Analysis of President Roosevelt's Pearl Harbor Speech

“A date which will live in infamy” is a phrase most associated with this day. An unprovoked attack aimed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 left the nation vulnerable to various outside powers. Franklin Delano Roosevelt knew the vital importance of creating and leading a crusade, so his purpose in addressing the nation was to declare war against Japan and rally the support of the citizens of America. Until the devastating bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japan had been considered an ally. Roosevelt’s speech was about bringing justice to the nation and being honest with the people about the terrible events that had just occurred. Roosevelt, serving as the thirty-second president of the United States, was in his second term when the attack happened.

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 (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.

“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.

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt declared that the U.S. would enter World War II

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Empire bombarded the US military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in a surprise attack. This ambush reminded the U.S. that they could no longer be spectators of the war and engaged them into direct conflict during World War II. On the day after the attack, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke before a joint session of the Congress, requesting for a declaration of war against Japan. Throughout his infamous speech, he utilised diction, literary devices, and his simple organization of text to urge the Congress to formally declare war on Japan and rally the American population to support the war effort, thus establishing a sense of urgency and strengthening the nation in the face of grave danger.

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.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. The lives of more than 2,400 naval and military personnel were lost that day. The next day, President Roosevelt asked congress to declare war on japan and without hesitation, congress approved his request. It took nearly 2 years before America had finally joined World War II. So why did I choose this account, well back in 2011 there was an article written by Tim Kelly, Titled “FDRS NOBLE LIE.” In this article, Kelly talks about “how FDR and his top advisors deliberately provoked the attack and deliberately looked the other way before it came.” After years of investigations by journalist and scholars a solid case was presented

Their moment to shine came on December 7, 1941, “A date in which will live in infamy” as proclaimed by President Franklin Roosevelt the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese air force and navy (Roosevelt). But the Japanese badly miscalculated the psychological effect of their surprise attack at Pearl Harbor that unified a divided people and aroused the United States to wage a total, not a limited war (Stewart, 166). The United States was finally pushed

Pearl Harbor American Public University Dr. Thomas Ward August 22, 2015 December 7th, 1941 will forever be remembered. The day after this attack President Roosevelt gave a speech to congress (Roosevelt, 1941). December 7th is the day that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and forever changed the course of the war.

The speech “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation” was due to the attacks against Pearl Harbor and other island by Japanese Forces. Some of the island affected by these attacks includes: Hong Kong, Guam, Philippine Island, Wake Island, Malaya, and Midway Island. FDR’s uses pathos, ethos, and logos to effectively demonstrated the power and the will of the United States to defend themselves after the attack at Pearl Harbor.

“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.” These words were spoken the day after the bombing of Pearl

President Roosevelt’s speech is straightforward, and leaves no room for misinterpretation. He is requesting a declaration of war against Japan. He uses logos to demonstrate this request. First, by pointing out how Japan took the time to plan their attack due to the great distances their planes traveled, then by naming the many countries Japan had attacked in addition to Pearl Harbor. These words support his request, and inform the public at the same time. I agree with your statement that this speech “was designed to move the American

On December 8th, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered a potent speech in response to a dastardly event that had happened just the day before, on a “date that [would] live in infamy” (2). All throughout the United States, the nation’s citizens were in panic after learning that Japan had struck out with a premeditated attack against the US. In his “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation”, Roosevelt asked Congress, through a stirring use of rhetoric appeals, to condemn Japan’s grave attack by declaring war against them.

The speech that I have chosen signifies an important moment in American history. The speech was by Franklin D. Roosevelt and it was given a day after the Pearl Harbor bombings. In many ways the speech was an important mark in the start of America’s part in world war two. The rate and tone of the speech, were very clear and well spoken. It appears that he was trying to be as clear as possible for this very important speech. He wanted everyone to clearly understand what he was saying, with no doubt. The lack of gestures and somberness of the president’s tone made everyone listening understand the severity of the situation. The audience awareness was very interesting. There was no excitement in the air. It was only a room full of people patiently