Franklin Delano Roosevelt Pathos

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“December 7th, 1941. A date that will live in infamy.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, addressing the nation. He is responding to the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor. It was the first time in a long time that the United States had been attacked so violently on its own soil. The purpose of this speech was to urge Congress to declare war on Japan and to have the American citizens support the war. The primary audience is Congress, so they would declare war. The secondary audience was the American citizens watching it on TV. The reason it was televised was so it could reach a large amount of people and it was important that they supported the war. President Roosevelt uses lots of ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade the country that it is making the right choice. The ethos is the credibility of the speech. The pathos is the emotional …show more content…

What makes it so memorable was the balance of just enough emotion but not to much. President Roosevelt starts off with a very serious tone. He does not talk to fast or to slow which makes it sound dramatic. This makes you pay attention because it sounds serious and important. The President starts talking about what had happened and the damage our country has suffered. He respectively refers to the innocent American lives that were lost. This touches the American people and causes them to want justice for those who lost their lives. It also causes the Americans to be angry with Japan. All of this leads to Americans supporting the war and not trying to stop it. The President also uses a lot of emotional and vivid words that sway the country to be on his side. “Suddenly and deliberately attacked,” who wouldn't want to stop that. The Americans sympathizes for the lives that were lost and jumps on board with us going to war. The good guys were the Americans and the bad guys were the Japanese. This was President Roosevelt's way of making war