Rumors And Gossip In Theodore Roosevelt's Speech

Rumors and gossip are commonly used by young adults or children however, would you be surprised if adults and leaders also joined in? Rumors and gossip are usually about other people’s lives and at times evolve into lies depending on who tells each gossip. Gossip are rarely true or carry the whole truth. During 1901 president Theodore Roosevelt began an anti-corruption campaign in order to clean the government from powerful corrupt leaders. Throughout this campaign rumors and false accusations rose up against honest men. Theodore Roosevelt addresses this issue in his speech “who smear and slander honest men.” Roosevelt uses allusions, metaphors, and pathos to support his claims. Throughout president Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, he mentions

This sentence is again making a reference to the novel in which the main with the muckraker is offered a crown but does not accept. Roosevelt makes the comparison of the journalist as muckrakers in the sense that their work focus on the exposure of all who are corrupt. Roosevelt only wants to expose high powered leaders and not ordinary wealthy citizens; he only wants some people to be exposed.
Continuing with the rhetorical device allusion Roosevelt states, “There are beautiful things above and around about them, and if they gradually grow to feel that the whole world is nothing but muck, their power of usefulness is gone…” (14). Roosevelt continues to reference John Bunyan’s novel; he is stating the fact that the muck rakes will always be useless if they do not look up occasionally. When Roosevelt talks about muck rakers he is talking about journalist, hence stating journalist can help society by not giving false statements on honest

For example, “The men of wealth who today are trying to prevent the regulation and control of their business in the interest of the public by the proper government authorities will not succeed, in my judgement, in checking the progress of the movement” (15). In this sentence Roosevelt addresses and reassures to his audience that corrupt leaders will not win. Noting that Roosevelt has nothing to back up this sentence, I believe Roosevelt wants his audience to trust him. Looking at syntax, which is the way words are arranged in a sentence, Roosevelt purposely states the men of wealth before the word today. Theodore Roosevelt could have said today, the men of wealth however, instead gave emphasis to the men of wealth. Due to the length of this sentence, by giving emphasis to the men of wealth the audience will remember who Roosevelt is directing this sentence