Rhetorical Analysis Of Fdr's First Inaugural Address

Franklin D. Roosevelt is generally recognized as the nation’s 32nd president and an individual who aided the American people in the depths of the Great Depression. Before this event, the president prior, Herbert Hoover, had not successfully been capable of turning the American economy around. Consequently, the Americans were desperate for a president that could support them. Therefore, they anticipated that Franklin D. Roosevelt would alleviate the economic issue. Throughout his first inaugural address in 1933, with utmost candor, he demonstrated that he was reliable enough to take the duty as the president. Roosevelt indicates this through the use of ethos, biblical allusion, and pragmatic diction, which exhibits that he can take action and

Roosevelt has used countless examples of audience appeals, but he had leaned more towards ethos. The fundamental cause of ethos, a rhetorical device or written appeal, is to gain the trust of his audience and their ethics. As stated by Roosevelt’s first inaugural, “For the trust reposed in me I will return the courage and the devotion that befit the time. I can do no less.” (Roosevelt 4). In this quote, he is specifying that in the time he is granted in his presidency, he will not disappoint the American citizens and bring virtue. In addition, as mentioned by Roosevelt, he says, “...I will address them with a candor [1] and a decision which the present situation of our Nation impels.” (Roosevelt 1). Roosevelt is referring to himself as a strong leader, someone who is prepared for an arduous situation, such as the Great

Roosevelt used pragmatic diction to make realistic, sensible, and purposeful arrangements of words that affect the meaning of speech. As stated by Roosevelt, “But in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these two courses, and in the event that the national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me. I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis—broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe. [8]” (Roosevelt 4). In this statement, Roosevelt insinuates that if the Great Depression were to become more burdensome, he would implore the congress for “one remaining instrument to meet the crisis.” Under that specific circumstance, he would ask for “broad executive power.” A decision that is extremely bold to suggest to Americans and not be immediately refuted by them. However, in the way he had purposefully chosen his words, he could convince a portion of the people to agree to the request to a certain