Theodore Roosevelt's 'Duties Of American Citizenship'

The speech, “Duties of American Citizenship” delivered by Theodore Roosevelt on January 26, 1883 in Buffalo, New York, deliberated the vitality of men participating in civic activities. The orator addressed individuals across the nation to inform them of various duties they are bound to carry out. Consequently, the author uses extensive number of techniques in his speech to depict his pivotal argument. Theodore Roosevelt attributes several compelling tactics to convince his audience; for instance, Roosevelt’s speech contains repetition to reinforce his argument and to convey his message through a forceful tone. The author intentionally induces firm emotions and appears rational through his formal language. The speech tactfully utilizes writing techniques by evoking intense emotions and emphasizing the argument initially presented. The excerpt from “Duties of American Citizenship” systematically applies repetition of thought provoking phrases, such as “ideal citizen” and “good citizen”, to highlight the significance of participating in public politics. Not only does the author repeat these specific phrases, but he also exercises effective adjectives to imply the importance of being a well-rounded citizen. For instance, in the first

Roosevelt delineates a cause and effect relationship between domestic principles and civic values, so that the audience can relate to the argument immediately and consider factors they have not considered before. For instance, Roosevelt compares fatherhood to military responsibility by implying that a father taking care of a child is not very different from a man protecting his flag. Additionally, throughout the speech the orator is extremely passionate, reasonable, and forthright, so the tone directly alters the arguments intensity by augmenting and developing