Rhetorical Analysis Of Huey P. Long's Speech

In the 1930s, the time of the Great Depression, most Americans were struggling merely to survive while a select few hoarded the collective wealth of the nation. A man named Huey P. Long stands out from many other politicians and promoted economic equality across Americans. In his speech “Every Man a King,” he blames the rich for the strife of the poor. As a lawyer from a poor agricultural community, Long became the advocate for farmers in Louisiana.

Huey P. Long frequently refers in “Every Man a King” to how much there is to eat in the United States, and uses starvation to form the pathos argument that not supporting him is to make others suffer. Long grew up in an agricultural town where he saw greed and poverty firsthand. Unlike the rest of Louisiana, the town

Multiple times throughout the speech Huey P. Long quotes Bible verses that agree with his statements. He summarizes the Book of James by declaring that God ordered “nothing should be held permanently by any one person” (Long). The scripture is used to give more credibility to his claims that the rich should be punished if they do not use their wealth to assist the poor. Every time he quotes the Bible, Long also insists that he is not using the words to amplify his own message, but instead wants his audience to hear words they may rely upon, because he claims that the Bible “will never be disproved so long as you or your children or anyone may live” (Long). The addition of religion behaves as a glittering generality and gives emotional appeal for easily enraptured audience members. Claiming that he is not using God as a crutch for his argument also targets other politicians. He blames them for using glittering generalities and utilizing religion for personal gain by constantly insisting that he is