Rhetorical Analysis: We Shall Fight On The Beaches

The German Wehrmacht was annihilating all opposition throughout Europe in 1940. After a failed attempt to assist Belgium in repelling the Nazis, The British Expeditionary Force made a miraculous retreat back to their home island. There was a sense of relief prominent in Great Britain due to the soldiers unexpectedly escaping certain death or captivation. Winston Churchill, however, knew the dreadful struggle his country was about to face and reported to the House of Commons to prepare the country for the coming battle. In his speech commonly referred to as, “We Shall Fight on the Beaches”, Prime Minister Churchill successfully inspired the English people to fight until the bitter end by presenting the grim honest facts of the situation

and emotionally invoking a sense of national pride.
This speech took place on the heels of what was almost one of the worst military disasters in the history of Great Britain.

Under attack from the Germans, Belgium requested aid from its allies Britain and France. Both countries obliged but during the defense, the Belgian king unexpectedly surrendered to the Nazis. Since the Belgian army was protecting the flank, their surrender left the British and French forces exposed and vulnerable to obliteration. Lines of communication and retreat to the sea were cut off. It was expected that the majority of the forces would be lost. However, due to fierce fighting of the allies and mistakes by the Germans, a much larger percentage than expected escaped the situation. Among the people of Great Britain, there were mixed feelings of joy at the fortunate retreat and also fear of inevitable invasion. So with his speech, Churchill sought to control impractical optimism by giving an honest assessment of how serious the situation was but also give hope and motivate the people to fight to the best of their

abilities.
The people trusted what he had to say because Winston Churchill had been warning of the danger of the Nazis years before World War II began. Many politicians feared his strong opposition to Hitler would undermine their efforts to appease the German ruler and instigate war. For this reason, he was kept from holding any political office. Feelings changed, however, when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Churchill was immediately brought back into government by the current prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, and given position of First Lord of the Admiralty. Just a few months later, he became Prime Minister when Chamberlain was forced to resign. His credibility was high at this point since many of the things he had warned against were becoming reality.
Churchill’s speech was filled with unwelcoming facts about the loss of life and equipment.

He states, “…our losses in men have exceeded 30,000 killed, wounded and missing.” And about the battle of Calais, which was crucial in the retreat, “…in all about four thousand strong, defended Calais to the last… Only 30 unwounded survivors were brought off by the Navy.” The casualties are significant and give a serious tone to his speech. They emphasize what the enemy is capable of and subdue any feelings that the retreat was some huge victory. He also uses statistics to give hope. Although this was a defeat, over 335,000 men made it back when they only expected 20,000 to 30,000. This obviously would make for a better defense of the country. Historical facts were a part of his speech as well. He uses examples of other times in history when outside forces wanted to invade Great Britain but failed. This conveys to the audience that they’ve done it before so they can do it

again.
The emotional aspect of his speech was by far the greatest. He talks about the bravery of the soldiers and uses language that highlights the honorable acts they performed for their fellow countrymen. In particular he venerates the Royal Air Force, even comparing them to the Knights of the Round Table. This is meant to appeal to the audience’s feelings of national pride. The end of his speech has the strongest emotional appeal. He makes it clear what the future plans are by stating, “…we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…” This lets the audience know that he is fully committed to fighting off the Nazis and will never accept their rule. This helps to give the British people a sense of determination and duty.
In this speech, Winston Churchill accomplished his goal of awakening the country to the urgency of the situation and gave them the resolve and courage to fight for their freedom.