ipl-logo

Pearl Harbor Address Rhetorical Analysis

673 Words3 Pages

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 …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

Show More
Related
451 Words | 2 Pages

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech on the bombing of Pearl Harbor is a significant part of our history. Utilizing several rhetorical devices, he evokes the emotions of congress and the citizens of the United States. His use of the rhetorical devices affirms the severity of the drastic situation. Three primary rhetorical devices used in his speech are denotation, anaphora, and repetition. Roosevelt uses the word “infamy” at the beginning of his speech to grab the attention of his audience.

Read More
1180 Words | 5 Pages

This speech was given to try and persuade Congress and the American people to enter into World War Two. After hearing the news, the country was still in absolute shock after hearing of the attacks of Pearl Harbor. Even though the tone and purpose of this speech was to persuade Congress, he also wanted to rile up the American citizens to want to go to war as well. FDR’s use of both pathical and logical proofs proved themselves extremely effective in stirring up America’s desire to declare war

Read More
1018 Words | 5 Pages

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech is effective at convincing the audience that he will be a worthy president because of his use of ethos, logos, and pathos. Roosevelt

Read More
353 Words | 2 Pages

In President Roosevelt’s speech, there are multiple rhetorical devices that can get a point across. Using these rhetorical devices, the audience may be able to become swayed by the main message being expressed. The goal of a speech is to catch the audience’s attention greatly and persuade them to gain similar beliefs on whatever is being spoken of. In Roosevelt’s speech, the mood expresses a ray of hope yet a feel of strictness. One rhetorical device used by Roosevelt is personification.

Read More
688 Words | 3 Pages

On December 8th, 1941 Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered a speech to the House of Representatives, Members of the Senate, the House Speaker, to the Vice President, and to the American people. Franklin spoke of the incident of the attack on Pearl Harbor the day after it occurred. Mr. Roosevelt was stern and concise. He spoke on the occasion of tragedy to inform the House and the American people what the Japanese have done.

Read More
947 Words | 4 Pages

Roosevelt effectively uses rhetorical techniques to ensure trust with his audience through the use of emotional diction, and repetition to appeal to his audience and help rally support for the war effort. Roosevelt’s speech inflamed the passions of the American people to the point that the day after Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor speech Congress declared war on Japan with the support of the majority of the American people. His mastery of rhetorical devices and language helped to get the U.S. on board to enter World War II which eventually helped to turn the tide of the war in the favor of the Allied forces. With his speech, Roosevelt was able to provide comfort to the U.S. people and inspire them to enter the war which makes his declaration of war one of the most powerful in

Read More
670 Words | 3 Pages

Roosevelt demonstrates this quality when he repeats, “Our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger” (Roosevelt). With including an emphasis on unity, Roosevelt was able to maintain the idea that even though this was a time of adversity, anyone and everyone’s standpoint was important to him. Roosevelt is clear in the sense that he must do something to protect the people of his country; otherwise, he will be ultimately failing his duties as president of the United States. Similarly, the readers now can see that at any costs, Roosevelt will do everything in his power to make sure that no one will be left

Read More
574 Words | 3 Pages

Both speakers talked about the safety and security of the United States. Both events discussed in the two speeches resulted in an exponential amount of casualties; But discussed specifically, United States citizens. For example, President Roosevelt stated, “The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces.” He chose this element to appeal to the extreme emotional turmoil that the whole country was feeling, including the president himself. He created a common ground between himself and the audience by referencing the joint pain of the nation.

Read More
720 Words | 3 Pages

Ethos is “what modern students of communication refer to as credibility” (Lucas 353). Roosevelt illustrated ethos through the audience he named. In the beginning, he pointed out that he was speaking to “Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives” (Eidenmuller). Pathos appeals to emotions. His speech demonstrated feelings of sadness, pride, and confidence.

Read More
879 Words | 4 Pages

The fact that many lives were lost and many families were damaged, shows that this was an extremely emotional time for America. FDR, as mentioned before, begins this address to the nation in a very somber tone to show the effect these attacks have had on the morale of the country. With the seriousness FDR shows in the beginning, it makes the American people pay attention and really digest the message he is giving them. Another huge emotional appeal President Roosevelt plays on is painting Japan as the true enemy to American peace. FDR, in an attempt to explain the rift with the Japan says, “Hostilities exist.

Read More
967 Words | 4 Pages

In fact, before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the American government was still in conversation with the Japanese government about peace in the Pacific. Roosevelt use of accusatory diction allows the public to understand why his inclination for war was justifiable. He proclaimed that America was “suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval forces and air forces of the Empire of Japan”. The unsuspecting inhabitants of Pearl Harbor and the rest of the nation were unaware of the surprise attack that would take place on December 7, 1941- “a date which will live in infamy”. The president himself felt that the government of Japan “deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace”.

Read More
630 Words | 3 Pages

By stating this, it reassures American society that the decision to drop the bomb was not a terrible decision. Furthermore, Truman also uses a didactic/serious tone to educate and persuade the audience about the bombing and the bomb itself. For example, Truman states, “The Japanese began the war from the air at Pearl Harbor. They have been repaid many fold. And the end is not yet.

Read More
1735 Words | 7 Pages

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State of the Union Address in the year 1942 opened with a powerful start. He remained good in posture, strong verbal skills, gestures and strong eye contact with his audience which goes to show confidence and being in control of your speech (Stephen D. Boyd, 2017). He addressed the Americans, the citizens of the United States before he mentioned anything. He went to show that the President, himself found faith in their spirits and how he was merely proud of his citizens. He presented a powerful statement to his audience by acknowledging them and according to Matt Eventoff, “a statement or phrase can catch the audience’s attention by keeping them guessing as to what you’re about to say next.

Read More
663 Words | 3 Pages

The speech unleashed strong feelings that related directly to the audience helping capture their attention. This made it feel as if it was not just a response from the President but instead, a statement on behalf on the entire American people recovering from such a great trauma. The purpose was to inform the nation that the United States will respond to Japan’s surprise assault. Instead of discussing all the damage and loss

Read More
397 Words | 2 Pages

Franklin Roosevelt uses pathos, ethos and logos all throughout his speech. “December 7th 1941- A date that will live in infamy.” This quote will forever be in the minds of Americans. The bombing of the Pearl Harbor is an event no one can forget and neither is Franklin Roosevelt’s speech. It was this that brought American into World War Two and changed history.

Read More

More about Pearl Harbor Address Rhetorical Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document