Rhetorical Analysis Of Queen Elizabeth's Speech To The Troops At Tillbury

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A King’s Speech Delivered by a Queen With risks running high and spirits low, the troops stationed in Tillbury stood full of fear, wanting nothing more than to defend their fine country but lacking the wherewithal to do so. In times of fierce odds and high stakes, a leader is needed in order to take control of a seemingly unmanageable situation. Within Queen Elizabeth’s famous “Speech to the Troops at Tillbury”, she successfully attempts to quell the uncertainty of the troops and act as the driving force in their future battles. Through her utilization of an often fluctuating style of diction, Queen Elizabeth skillfully appeals to her audience’s sense of credibility, emotion, and logic in a way which serves as a much needed call to arms for …show more content…

This is important as with this simple pronoun Queen Elizabeth has already established a form of trust between her audience and herself, which enables the troops to be more accepting towards the rest of her speech. She reinforces this with the line “we commit ourselves…for fear of treachery” which defines a common cause for which the entire country fights, again uniting the troops and herself through her words (Elizabeth 40). This segment of the speech facilitates in the ignition of patriotism and nationalism within the troops, causing them to feel a stronger sense of commitment to their nation and their …show more content…

In saying this, Elizabeth acknowledges that women are seen as less capable in wartime situations than men, however; she did not let her gender hold back her passion for her country and for her loyal subjects. She finalizes her appeal to credibility with the promise that in the presence of dishonor, she will not hesitate to “take up arms” as well as serve as a “judge” and “general” for her subjects on and off the battlefield (Elizabeth, 41). Queen Elizabeth then concludes her powerful speech with a subtle appeal to the logical reasoning of the troops by guaranteeing rewards and honor for their service on the battlefield, as well as a quick victory for themselves and their