Rhetorical Analysis Of Japanese Speech

On December 7, 1941, the United States was suddenly attacked by the naval and air forces of the empire of Japan. This event was the turning point in World War Two and has continued to shape American culture today. The day after the attack, president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, gave an address speech that persuaded the government and the people through appeal, word choice, and repetition, to declare war on Japan.
When giving the address to the nation, one way that Roosevelt gained America’s support was by the use of emotion. Roosevelt used emotion to appeal to the American citizens and Congress. He gave the audience a feeling of unity and hope, which America needed in order to defeat the Japanese. He said, “Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger” to receive an emotional response

from the members of Congress and the American people. Roosevelt also said “I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost”, making the listener become angry and seek revenge. He also uses logic such as asking Congress to declare war on Japan, in order to persuade them to follow through with his request.
During the speech, the tone is very morbid due to the words he used and how it impacted people.

Roosevelt chooses words like “premeditated” and “deliberately” in order to better help communicate his message about America’s status. His famous line “...a date which will live in infamy”, shapes the overall tone of the speech by addressing the importance of the evil attack that happened on that date. He uses words like “unprovoked and dastardly” to characterize the Japanese initiative to be devious and miscreant. Another way that Roosevelt structured his speech was by the repeating of words or phrases to add emphasis to their meaning. For example, he says “Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.” He repeats himself to draw more attention to the meaning and pattern of each sentence, rather than putting them all in one sentence, which would have a much different effect on the

tone.
Roosevelt's purpose for giving this speech was to encourage Americans to support the war efforts and to advocate Congress to declare war on Japan immediately. By saying “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory”, he sought confidence and vengeance through his country’s defeat at Pearl Harbor and brought hope of triumph.
The Impact of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s renowned speech, “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation”, was tremendous. Not only did it highlight the Japanese evil acts, but it also influence the decision of declaring war. America was standing in a neutral position during the Second World War, until the attack on Pearl Harbor was announced, the United States had entered Second World War.