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 …show more content…
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 …show more content…
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
Therefore, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt speech “A Date Which Will Live in Infamy” is well elaborated due to he included some rhetorical devices that helped him to achieve his purpose of convincing the congress and people to support join WW2. The words and rhetoricals devices President Roosevelt applied on his speech had a great importance because The United States of America joined to WW2 and american people agreed and supported the war. This speech was delivered a long time ago, but its structure is similar to some of today's speeches. The purpose of President Roosevelt was to convince the congress to declare war due to the fact Pearl Harbor had a unexpected attack and get people support of war. To achieve his purpose he used some rhetorical
On December 7, 1941, a horrific explosion erupted without warning on Pearl Harbor. This attack was from a Japanese aircraft that bombed the USS Shaw killing several innocent civilians. This started the irrational bias and prejudice that sadly still grips Americans today. The attack on Pearl Harbor awakened the emotions of fear and anger in the American people, so much so that people were desperate to protect their families at whatever cost. The Japanese were relentless and extremely loyal to their home country, but did this mean Japanese Americans were just as loyal and unrelenting to Japan as well?
In response to the brutality, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, delivers his “Pearl Harbor Speech” claiming that Japan is the enemy of America. He strengthens his argument by harnessing the uses of diction, anaphora, and pathos. Roosevelt’s purpose is to convince Congress to declare war against Japan in order to defend the American people and their homes. Adopting a factual and urgent tone, Roosevelt reaches his
Roosevelt utilizes elements of informative and persuasive speeches to vilify the Japanese Empire and energize the increasingly lethargic and isolationist American people into whole heartedly supporting the war effort through a combination of fear-mongering, outrage, and confirmation of American
Franklin Roosevelt uses pathos, ethos and logos all throughout his speech. “December 7th 1941- A date that will live in infamy.” This quote will forever be in the minds of Americans. The bombing of the Pearl Harbor is an event no one can forget and neither is Franklin Roosevelt’s speech. It was this that brought American into World War Two and changed history.
The supremely embarrassing reversals in China for the British and in the Philippines for the US reflected just how unprepared for war in the East the Allies were and just how much the Allies underestimated Japan. Toland explains that the US citizens were responding to the apparently unstoppable tide of Japan by supporting the President to remove 127,000 Japanese-Americans from the west coast in racial based hysteria. Nazi’s and Japanese had a propaganda field day with that information and throughout the war, as the US grappled with its domestic racism (Toland 285-292 & Dower 4-6). Toland also includes something Dower does not; the build-up to Germany's declaration of war on the United States. He shows that the Nazi's had similar racial superiority complexes to the Japanese and saw the US along racial lines as well.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor the morning on December 7th, 1941. On December 8th, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed the nation with a powerful speech, “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation”. It was one of the most influential speeches in history. The purpose of great speeches like those is to persuade people of other’s beliefs. Political leaders usually use rhetorical techniques to persuade their audiences of their beliefs.
“Yesterday, December 7,1941 --- a date which will live in infamy- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” - Franklin Roosevelt. December 7th 1941. When Japanese bombers made a bombing run in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii sinking two ships. The USS Arizona taking down 1,117 with it, The USS Oklahoma went down as well taking 429 crew members with it.
December 7th, 1941 is a day changed the lives of all Americans. It is the day Japan deliberately attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii killing many U.S. soldiers and destroying a lot of the U.S. naval fleet. This day which turned the tide of World War II, up until this point the U.S. had not chosen to intervene in the conflict overseas, but Japan’s attack had given the U.S. a reason to enter the fight. This speech given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on December 8th, 1941 was his own passionate plea to the U.S. government and people to support the U.S. entering the war and fighting back against the tyranny occurring overseas. President Franklin D. Roosevelt effectively appeals to the emotions of the U.S. population by establishing trust with his audience through the use of emotional diction, and repetition which allow him to rally support for the war effort.
Rhetorical Essay Analysis World War II is a time of great struggle for humanity, especially for those within the midst of the battlegrounds. During the June of 1940 in an attempt to boost his citizen’s morale and confidence, Winston Churchill, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), gave his speech “We shall fight on the beaches” at the British House of Commons. The rhetorical purpose of this speech is to convince the people of the UK that they have a fighting chance against the Axis forces, even if the worst comes to show. In order to gain people’s support, Churchill employed the rhetorical strategies of historical evidence and emotional appeal.
“Mary Tsukamoto once said ‘I knew it would leave a scar that would stay with me forever. At that moment my precious freedom was taken from me’” (Martin 54). The Betrayal. The attack on Pearl Harbor.
Franklin D. Roosevelt present this well and persuasive. People moved to agree with this speech understand the lines crossed by Japan. If Americans families were killed, they would want to do something about that. When promises are broken most people feel offended. ”The United States was at peace with that nation….of
As he begins his speech, Roosevelt explains the actions the Japanese took in order to attack Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt states, “Japan makes it obvious that the attack was already planned many days or even weeks ago” (Roosevelt paragraph 4). Days or weeks before the event, Japan was having peace talks with the United States, therefore deceiving the nation. The point Roosevelt tries to get across repeatedly is that Japan uses a deceitful tactic for the purpose of killing hundreds of innocent Americans. Roosevelt presents factual evidence in the hope that his audience will develop a pronounced hatred towards the inconsiderate Japanese leaders.
Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, in his reconciliation address at Pearl Harbor, elaborates on the outcome of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and supports the notion of compromise between nations. Abe’s purpose is to emphasize the sympathy felt by the Japanese people, and to persuade the audience to aspire for peace between each other. He fosters an inspiring tone in order to convey to all nations his hope for peace and prosperity among nations while utilizing emotional appeals related to sympathy, gratitude, and hope. In the beginning of his address, Abe emphasizes on the emotion-invoking outcome of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and expresses sympathy on behalf of the Japanese people.
In addition to the ethos of his political status, Roosevelt also provides a significant number of details pertaining to the attack on Pearl Harbor and other attacks that the Japanese carried out in combination with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. By sharing additional details about the events of December 7th, it shows reliability to what he was saying about the bombings of Pearl Harbor. If FDR had simply said that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor, it may not have been as well-believed as it was since he provided so many details about the attack. Roosevelt also uses emotional phrases to convince the nation.