The Use Of Rhetoric In Winston Churchill's Speech

It was a time that our country had never witnessed nor expected. Who would’ve thought the following of some of the greatest times in United States, such as the roaring twenties and the start of the Industrial revolution, would result in some of the darkest days the United States has ever seen. Starting the in late 1920s and throughout 1930s, was what we know as the Great Depression. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in as the 32nd president on March 4th, 1933, a year in which was considered one of the lowest points of the Great Depression. A damaged and torn nation looked to its new leader in hopes of economic resilience and prosperity. FDR’s inaugural address is considered to be one of the most famous acts of public speaking where common sayings such as “Only thing we have to fear is fear itself’ were first uttered (Moley 1). In a time of such unconventional circumstances, FDR’s inaugural address reassured the American people that the United States will become the great country it once was.

Following the collapse of France during World War II, the conditions the Allied powers faced became bleaker by the day. The United Kingdom was standing alone in the face of Germany, and under Hitler’s reign, the German “blitzkrieg” or “lightning war,” a tactic involving bombardment, tanks, and ground troops in quick offense proved too much for many countries. Winston Churchill would be the one to place hope in the hearts of the British people, delivering his “Their Finest Hour” speech on the 18th of June, 1940. Churchill utilized persuasive rhetoric whilst appealing to the people's logic and emotions, to raise morale and spirit in the United Kingdom to fight.

In most patriotic or any speeches given in history that try to prove an argument must have a strong dose of pathos. Pathos is the key to his speech because when something as bad as the Attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt was a able to rally his fellow Americans to bear arms and ready to avenge this attack. Especially when President Roosevelt said this, “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.(15)”. President Roosevelt was very successful with this and got the clear majority of the people ready to go to war. Although there were some people disagreeing, but they were silenced by the majority of the people .

How does the speakers' rhetoric evoke a reaction from the audience, in the speeches? Political speeches use rhetorical devices to persuade the reader to engage in their speech. "I have a dream” by Martin Luther King Jr, ESPY award speech by Jimmy Valvano, JFK's inaugural address, the Gettysburg address by Abraham Lincoln, 2009 inaugural address by Barack Obama are examples of political speeches that contain rhetoric. Throughout the speeches asyndeton, procatalepsis, allusion, antithesis, ethos, pathos, logo, repetition and parallelism are used.

Lyndon B. Johnson orchestrated a strong, strategic speech on the day of March 15,1965. His speech was striving to persuade the nation to pass a bill which would give African- Americans additional rights to vote. Throughout his speech, Lyndon B. Johnson demonstrates all men are equal and should have equal rights through his utilization of repetition, pathos, and rhetorical questions.

FDR’s use of rhetoric continues to motivate his audience and makes them understand the significance of entering the war. Prior to the speech FDR presented, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii which killed over 2,300 Americans. The attack also sank twelve battleships, hurting the American navy.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) addressed the nation in a “fireside” chat on December 29, 1940 called “The Arsenal of Democracy” ("Franklin Delano"). It was one of twenty-eight fireside chats that Roosevelt would eventually give, but it would become known as one of his best speeches (Roosevelt xi). In this chat he again used the radio to talk to Americans in their homes, where it felt relaxed and informal, despite addressing a serious issue that our nation faced (Roosevelt xi). Roosevelt wanted to tell the people of the United States about the threat caused by the Axis powers’ assault on Great Britain. He felt that America had a responsibility to help Britain and in doing so maintain our national security. President Roosevelt took a strong stance on the need to support Britain and in his speech laid out a plan to build an “arsenal of democracy” in the United States that would protect our country as well as our allies ("Franklin Delano").

His life is an example of his spirit, overcoming the difficulties with which he was presented, and making himself stronger as a result of it. Churchill was a more than just a great speaker though; he was a great man and a great leader as well. He took over as Prime Minister of Britain during one of the most trying times ever to come upon the country, and led his country to eventual victory over their adversaries. The analysis of his speech allows one to come closer to understanding the true rhetorical genius of the man known as Churchill. In particular,

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.

Thatcher incorporates several types of rhetorical strategies to convey her message. Thatchers purpose was to give a speech commemorating and honoring the late President of the United States: Ronald Reagan. Her message is to honor the service and abilities Reagan utilized and almost sacrificed to deliver the health and security of his nation. Thatcher utilizes ethos, tone, and symbolism to effectively deliver her message to the audience.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt engaged with his audience with the words that he chose to use and the tone he had in his voice. Mr. Roosevelt used emotion in his tone of voice by saying “I regret to tell you that many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu” (Roosevelt, 2017). He used a different tone in his voice when he said this so that way they would feel emotional as he told them about the attack. Mr. Roosevelt used a softer, more calm tone when he told those that many American people had lost their lives. As President, he didn’t use words to

In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I delivered a speech to motivate her troops, which were mostly untrained farmers for a battle. In 1940, Winston Churchill, Great Britain's new Prime Minister, delivered his speech to inspire and communicate effectively with the House of Commons. Both these speaker’s speeches are close in similarities; however, they do contain a few differences. The speeches of Queen Elizabeth I and Winston Churchill to their respective audiences are communicated through rhetorical choices to connect with the people, which led them to victory. Queen Elizabeth I’s speech to her troops was more effective in that she appealed to their loyalty to country and God as a path to victory. While Winston Churchill’s speech was successful and

Both of Churchill's metaphors are explaining what would become of the world if great Britain where to loose or wins. When Churchill's says "move forward into broad, sunlit uplands" he is talking about a world without Hitler's control in which Germany and the world are freed of the Nazi party and its evil dictator by winning the war against the Nazi party. Churchill's second part of the quote says "sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age". In the second part of the metaphor Churchill is referring to what the world would become if the Nazi party were to become successful in taking over Europe and the world due to Britain stopping its efforts against the Nazi party. The world would become a dark place where injustices would occur and evil

On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill would give the "Sinews of Peace" speech and which would later be regarded by many historians as the official start of the Cold War. One of the most memorable quotes from the speech is "...an iron curtain has descended across the Continent." Winston Churchill's use of the term "iron curtain" was used to criticize the Soviet Union for having closed off Eastern Europe from the rest of the world. Having just come out of a world war, Churchill's intention with this speech was to present to not only to the United States but the entire world, the danger the Soviet Union and communism posed to world peace. At the time that Churchill gave this speech, the US for the most part still had a policy of isolationism, but this speech would help pave the way for the US to take center stage in global affairs. Throughout this speech, Churchill mentions American's love for democracy, freedom, capitalism, and peace. He also goes on to criticize the Soviet Union for spreading communism and tyranny, and he advocates

In the film “The King’s Speech”, written by David Seidler and released on November 26, 2010, the filmmaker portrays Albert being constantly under pressure for speaking correctly, by comparing his speech to great broadcasters who are anything but great leaders. The pressure that comes from Albert’s father, King George V, results in more frustration for the both of them, without either of them realising that to lead a country into greatness depends more on just speaking well. Throughout the film, there had been ideal speech models like Hitler, David, and King George V, shown in order to compare their speech to Albert’s and to show what a great speaker has to sound in order to gain the public’s support. Ironically, all of those speech perfect models turned out to be egocentric individuals and the least egotistical leader, Albert, is the one with the impaired speech. I argue that in “The King’s Speech”, the characters who serve as models of ideal speech are figures of oppression, therefore the author is implying that the idea of having ideal speech does not live up to it’s praise.