Rhetorical Analysis Of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Address To Congress

As President Franklin D. Roosevelt so brilliantly described it, December 7th 1941 will forever stay in the American minds and go down in history as the day “which will live in infamy”. This notorious moment in time, in which the Japanese had so heartlessly and abruptly bombed Pearl Harbor while killing the lives of many innocent Americans, left the nation in complete and utter shock. In his speech he gives the day after the bombing, Roosevelt presses the underlying issues regarding the attack in efforts to persuade two of his target audiences, the U.S. Congress and the general American public, to advocate the formal declaration of war against Japan. The President strategically achieves this through his meticulous use of literary techniques

Roosevelt segues his argument by transitioning from a hostile tone to one that is much more inspirational. He effectively structures his speech in a way that first allows him to establish the grave danger and destructive nature of the Japanese empire, which help him rouse sentiments of fury from the American people and draw them closer to supporting the war effort. Once he accomplishes this, Roosevelt then secures Americans’ support through the continual use of pathos to conjure feelings of confidence and pride for their nation. In the last half of his address to Congress, he fittingly assures the American people that with the “unbounding determination of our people, [America] will gain the inevitable triumph”, which will ensure that “this form of treachery shall never again endanger [them]” (Roosevelt). These powerful messages left the audience feeling a sense of empowerment and profound nationalism, instilling confidence that they could win the war. This rise in patriotism was significant in history, because prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States had made it a primary goal to exist as a neutral nation in World War II after suffering heavy losses in the previous World War, which largely affected American morale. Roosevelt was able to instill a new found sentiment of American nationalism across the country, which made Americans more willing to enter the war and confident that they could be

He informs Congress of the severe destruction Japan has caused upon America, while calling attention to the “very many American lives that have been lost” in the attack (Roosevelt). Here, Roosevelt imparts alarming knowledge upon Americans regarding the dangerous nature of Japan and the thousands of innocent lives that have been taken due to its violent actions. He makes it known that these hostilities will continue to exist and infringe upon the nation’s safety unless something is done. Thus, Roosevelt makes it evident that the most logical call to action would be for the country to defend itself and its people from undertaking any more harm. President Roosevelt continues his speech to Congress and the American people by repetitively listing the number of attacks carried out by the Japanese asserting that “Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam…the Phillipine Islands…Wake Island…And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island” (Roosevelt). Roosevelt’s strategic use of repetition of the statement the “Japanese forces attacked” amplifies the danger of the Japanese empire as not only to the United States, but also in the Pacific hemisphere. The