Rhetorical Analysis Of The Infamy Speech

December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy no matter how long it may take everyone to overcome a premeditated invasion by the Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Infamy Speech was a speech given by the U.S president Franklin D. Roosevelt on December 8, 1941, where he tried to urge the U.S Congress to formally declare war on Japan, and to rally the American people to support the war effort. Roosevelt build his request to the U.S Congress to convince them by using the ethical appeal and credibility, emotional appeal, and the appeal to logic and reasons. In his speech, Roosevelt states that the United States was just bombarded by the Japanese that following day. He states that many of the military, navy, and air force have been killed. Roosevelt states that in time where the United States and Japan were coming to peace is when Japan deceived the United States nation and many others on the same day. He declares this day as one that will never be forgotten and that it will live in infamy. He also declared by the end of his speech that he asks the U.S Congress to

Ethos is established by the authority and rank of the President of the United States. Roosevelt build his case and emphasizing his credentials by using his position and saying, “As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.”. By using this device, he slowly convinces the audience of his purpose and that he can take care of the business. He uses the theme of “treachery” a lot in his speech. For example, “the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan.”. The use of ethos was effective because he doesn’t distance himself too much but builds a bond between him and his audience as he gets applaud for from using credible sources, which made the listener agree with his tactic of fighting