Franklin D. Roosevelt's Use Of Rhetoric

A persuasion technique used by many writers and speakers is the use of rhetoric. Rhetoric is the art of effective speaking or writing. Historical figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Jimmy Valvano and Barack Obama effectively use rhetoric throughout their famous speeches as a persuasive technique to inform their audiences on their main points and to urge their audience on how important their topic is.

Franklin D. Roosevelt uses rhetoric such as antithesis, epistrophe, anadiplosis, allusion, and pathos in his “Four Freedoms”. He uses this rhetoric to get his points across and to persuade his audience of these points. He uses antithesis when he says, “ I do not recommend that we make them a loan

Nearly all their material would, if the time ever came, be useful for our own defense.”(paragraph 49-50) Antithesis is opposition or contrast emphasized by parallel structure. This is antithesis because first Roosevelt states what he does not recommend that we do and then in the next line he says what he does recommend we do. He does this advise against what he thinks will be a bad idea but he wants to make the point that he does have a plan and he is just not advising against things but he has apan on what to do instead. This helps persuade the audience that he is prepared and has a plan. Next Roosevelt uses epistrophe, the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences, as an effective way to engage his audience in what he is saying. “ The first is freedom of speech and expression- everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way- everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want- which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for it inhabitants- everywhere in the

Anadiplosis is the repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next clause. “ Since the beginning of our American history, we have been engaged in change- in a perpetual peaceful revolutions- a revolution which goes on steadily, quietly, adjusting itself to changing conditions- without the concentration camp or the quick-lime in the ditch.”(paragraph 80 line 1-3). By ending his thought with “revolutions” but then starting right back again with “a revolutions” the word revolution is emphasized and it shows the audience the importance of the word. Anadiplosis is also used here to build to the climax. Roosevelt starts to talk about revolution not giving too much information which makes the audience engaged and wanting to hear more about what he is saying. This is a very effective persuasion device because the audience really pays attention to what Roosevelt is saying. Allusion was also a rhetorical technique used by Roosevelt and it is defined as a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or something that happened. “ The nation has placed its destiny in the hands and heads and hearts of its millions of free men and women; and its faith and freedom under the guidance of