World War 2 Rhetorical Analysis

“rhetorical discourse comes into existence as a response to a situation…the situation controls the rhetorical response…rhetoric is a mode of altering reality…by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action…Let us regard rhetorical situation as a natural context of persons, events, objects, relations, and an exigence which strongly invites utterance” (Philosophy & Rhetoric, Volume 1, 1 –

In The Rhetorical Situation, Lloyd F. Bitzer argues that what makes a situation rhetorical is similar to that which constitutes a moral action as he writes that, “an act is moral because it is an act performed in a situation of a certain kind; similarly, a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind”.(3) By defining the rhetorical situation in this way, Bitzer further contends that rhetoric is a means to altering reality. (4) It is through the use of discourse that one is capable of changing reality through thought and action. (4) Bitzer then elaborates upon the nature of a rhetorical situation by explaining that rhetorical discourse enters a situation when: providing a response to its state of affairs;

Zarefsky broke this long definition apart and repackaged it into a function statement that a rhetorical situation is a situation in which people’s understanding can be changed through messages (Zarefsky 9), and four components, namely the audience, the occasion, the speaker and the

Often times writings with the general theme of war and battle juxtapose the symbol of nature with brutal events in order to create contrast between. In All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque, the author uses the method of juxtaposition to convey the contrast of beautiful nature to war and potentially emphasizing the brutality of battle. Away from combat, down-time is given to the men fighting, where things are peaceful and no longer chaotic. As they are relaxing, their surroundings are described as a “flowery meadow” with “white butterflies...in the soft warm wind” which symbolizes peace or happiness. (Remarque 9). Although the men are experiencing a time and setting of tranquility, death is also occurring near them, ultimately

Germany betrayed Paul Baumer and his comrades. All Quiet on the Western Front is told from the perspective of Paul Baumer, an enlistee in the German army during World War One. He enlisted as a teenager after a push from his schoolteacher to fight for his country. Paul and his fellow comrades experience the horrors of war as they are told to kill and lay down their lives for their country. Paul goes through battles, injuries, the loss of friends and comrades, and he inevitably loses his life.

In the incredible book, All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque, the reader follows Paul Baumer, a young man who enlisted in the war. The reader goes on a journey and watches Paul and his comrades face the sheer brutality of war. In this novel, the author tries to convey the fact that war should not be glorified. Through bombardment, gunfire, and the gruesome images painted by the author, one can really understand what it would have been like to serve on the front lines in the Great War. The sheer brutality of the war can be portrayed through literary devices such as personification, similes, and metaphors.

The rhetorical situation refers to “a situation in which people’s understanding can be changed through messages.” (Zarefsky, 12). The rhetorical situation analysis consists of four elements: audience, occasion, speaker and speech, each assessing the quality of speech. In this essay, I will analyze the rhetorical situation of the historical speech “The Challenger Address” delivered by the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan.

“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 advertisement by WWF uses rhetorical strategies such as an establishment of ethos, and an appeal to logos and pathos. WWF establishes ethos by being a world wildlife program who “is at work in more than 40 countries...and collaborating with governments and coastal communities,” which demonstrates their credibility. They appeal to logos by offering statistics such as that “ten million people in sub-Saharan Africa make a living fishing,” and that the “number of fish in their waters has declined by 50 percent.” By offering these concrete numbers and statistics, WWF establishes a logical advertisement. Pathos is appealed by this advertisement by including phrases such as “Protecting the Future of Nature”, “protect marine populations,” and “ensure

The rhetorical situation refers to “a situation in which people’s understanding can be changed through messages.” (Zarefsky, 12). The rhetorical situation analysis consists of four elements: audience, occasion, speaker and speech, each assessing the quality of speech. In this essay, I will analyze the rhetorical situation of the historical speech “The Challenger Address” delivered by the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan.

The rhetorical situation is made up of a few elements such as the audience, the issue, and the constraints. Bitzer described the rhetorical situation as “a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence, which can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action as to bring about the significant modification of the exigence” (Bitzer 6). In this essay I will explain in depth how the rhetorical situation works as a process. The main three parts of the rhetorical situation is the exigence and/or issue, the audience, and the constraints. I will also talk about the influence that Bitzer holds with the rhetorical situation, and

Rhetorical Analysis Essay “Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy” is the powerful first line from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s famous Pearl Harbor speech. This speech was delivered to a joint session of congress and the American people the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt is attempting to persuade Congress to declare war on the Japanese Empire, as well as to inform the American people of the devastation caused by the attack so they will be in support of this war. Roosevelt begins the speech with effective use of an appeal to logos with compelling language as he is stating the fact that the United States has been attacked by Japan with no provocation what so ever.

SWA#3 Audience: Rhetorical refers to language used to persuade, inform, or entertain. The rhetorical situation is the circumstances, or medium used to persuade, inform, or entertain. The rhetorical situation of this paper is an explanatory easy, used to inform my audience of my contribution, interaction, language usage, and how my role influences my discourse community. Based on the rhetorical situation of this paper, the audience would most likely consist of people that are interested in my discourse community, or uninformed about the discourse community.

Stephen Crane, author of The Red Badge of Courage, in regards to the American Civil War once despondently wrote, “It was not well to drive men into final corners; at those moments they could all develop teeth and claws” (Crane). Such describes the desperate and harrowing atmosphere of the time during which Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States. As Abraham Lincoln once perspicaciously reflected upon the significance of the Civil War, "The struggle of today is not altogether for today — it is for a vast future also" meaning that the war was paramount to the survival of the union and thus, one of the most momentous occurrences of American history (Lincoln). Nathaniel Hawthorne, a transcendentalist and author of The Scarlet

Logos: It is an appeal to the mind with the use of logic, rationality and critical reasoning to persuade the audience. The author uses logos in his article to make a logical connection with the topic. For example, the author uses the explanation of ideas in the article and employs lots of diagrams in each parts of the topic to show the visualization to support his evidence which is very informative because the visuals give lots of information about what the article is about and that to get attention of the audience.