Speech Analysis: The Declaration of War on Japan

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On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Empire bombarded the US military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in a surprise attack. This ambush reminded the U.S. that they could no longer be spectators of the war and engaged them into direct conflict during World War II. On the day after the attack, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke before a joint session of the Congress, requesting for a declaration of war against Japan. Throughout his infamous speech, he utilised diction, literary devices, and his simple organization of text to urge the Congress to formally declare war on Japan and rally the American population to support the war effort, thus establishing a sense of urgency and strengthening the nation in the face of grave danger. Each and every word his prominent speech played on the emotions of the American population and provided remarkable support for his purpose. Roosevelt initiated his persuasion with his choice of emotionally charged words to ignite polarizing emotional appeals. He emphasized the deception involved the attack through the numerous repetitions of the word "deliberately" and "premeditated". Furthermore, his usage of the words "hostility", "dastardly", and "infamy" demonizes the Japanese people and entices the attention of his intended audience, both the Congress and all American citizens. His mention of the American casualties and infrastructure of the US navy during the Pearl Harbor attack united the nation under an ideology of patriotism and emphasized the urgency of the grave situation. Through his effective eloquence, Americans felt compelled to create a plan of retaliation as soon as possible to stop the threat of the potential Japanese mainland attack and the loss of more American lives. More... ... middle of paper ... ...edibility as he urged the people to maintain their faith during these strenuous situations. Furthermore, he spoke in first person, utilizing the words “we” and “our”; with this choice of words, all American citizens across the nation felt engaged; they felt as if the president was speaking to each individual directly, thus contributing significantly to their inclination to trust his decision to declare war on Japan. As one of the nation’s most influential presidents of America, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was able to use his rhetoric eloquence to unite America under one common enemy after the attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: the Japanese Empire. He successfully transformed the population’s emotions of fear into hope and strength as he emphasized the urgent need of a declaration of war against Japan and America’s direct involvement in the World War II.

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