Rhetorical Analysis Of Day Of Infamy Speech

World War Two is one of the most gruesome wars that has ever plagued the world. Yet the United States was able to stay out of it until December 7th, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese and forced the United States into the war. The current president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, addressed Congress in a speech with the goal of convincing Congress to provide a declaration of war. President Roosevelt acknowledges the significance, uses pauses to create tension, and emphasizes the Japanese threat within his Day of Infamy speech.

Roosevelt starts off his speech with attacking the issue at hand and giving a reason as to why Pearl Harbor was bombed. He acknowledges the significance of the event and is able to pull at the heartstrings

He uses the words “Last night Japanese forces attacked,” and lists four different places that were also bombarded. He uses repetition in order to spur emotion within the American people. The American people realize how the other countries must be feeling as they share a similar trauma. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor the United States did not have an official reason to join the war. The American people also did not want their young men to die in a European conflict. Unfortunately, Pearl Harbor created a hunger for vengeance and retribution. War - was the fruit that would quell the American people's starvation. Those emotions would surmise in an anti Japanese campaign that would result in internment camps and lasting anti Japanese sentiment. Because of Roosevelt’s tactics to brew emotion the American people realize what a toll the war in Europe must have on the rest of the world. Because of the vengeance and new found sympathy for the European continent, the American war machine will go into

He includes pauses around the most famous line of the speech “a date which will live in infamy.” This portion of the speech is in the beginning when Roosevelt is still addressing the bombardment of Pearl Harbor. He gives the date of the attacks. Pauses. Says his most famous line. Pauses again. And he then continues on. The two pauses build tension and mystery about what he is going to say. Before this moment the Second World War was a very foreign thing. But now the war is coming for America. The American people want to hear what their commander in chief is going to say after they were just attacked. How will America retaliate? What does Roosevelt think? When Roosevelt utilized his pauses to create tension, those were the questions on the minds of the listeners. Roosevelt wanted there to be tension because this was a terrible act; it was an attack on America. Roosevelt also includes a pause later on within the speech. Roosevelt asks congress in order to declare war on Japan while stating that the U.S. will win, “we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.” Roosevelt pauses and utters the phrase “sp help us God.” The phrase “so help us God,” is very important. It is usually said when a person is being sworn in and they say an oath. But overall the phrase brings about a tone of seriousness and obligation that has no place within normal conversation. The pause