Pearl Harbor Address Rhetorical Analysis

On December 8, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered a speech regarding the unexpected and unprovoked attack of the Japanese on the United States military base at Pearl Harbor. At this time of national distress, President Roosevelt saw the need to strengthen the morale of the American people. To accomplish this, he used rhetorical arguing to both comfort the public and persuade Congress to go war.

One method Roosevelt uses to make his argument is an appeal to the pathos of his audience. Using strong adjectives such as “suddenly” and “deliberately,” the president opens the address by announcing that America was attacked by Japanese forces. By using these words which vividly depict Japanese tyranny, Roosevelt appeals to the

By using his title of “Commander in Chief,” he tries to reassure the people of their safety, while using his position of authority to direct the mindset of the listeners. His position of Commander in Chief gives him credibility, thus furthering his cause for war. “As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.” By calmly reassuring the people that he was watching over their well being, the audience would be more likely to trust him. His stated goodwill toward the people gave himself credibility in their eyes.. Where he gives his speech also adds to his ethos. Standing before Congress, using a huge American flag as a background, Roosevelt appears to be a representation of the United States, striving for the good of the whole

One instance of this is his explanation of how long it would have taken for Japan to prepare for this attack. While Japan had been pretending to be friendly to the United States up to a day before the attack, “It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago.” The president uses this as grounds that Japan was most definitely a malicious country, as they had deceived the United States into believing they were friendly, while actually planning their attacks across the Pacific.

Another way in which Roosevelt’s speech was effective was the timing of its presentation. At any other time, this speech would not have been as effective. However, since the public was startled by the unexpected attack, Roosevelt’ reassurances gained their trust, and by that, he was able to captivate his audience. Even though a speech usually takes several days or weeks to prepare, Roosevelt saw that it was necessary, to have full effect, to compose it within a matter of hours. Accomplishing this, Roosevelt’s speech had a profound effect that another any speech at a time of peace could not have