Summary Of Eleanor Roosevelt's Undo The Mistake Of Internment

In her speech “Undo the Mistake of Internment” Eleanor Roosevelt uses similes and allusions to situations well known to the reader to create an appeal using ethos that urges the American public to act peaceably towards Japanese Americans that may settle among them. Roosevelt supports this plea by first expressing sympathy to the plight of Americans whose families have died in the war, but then reprimanding them for being prejudiced against the Japanese. Roosevelt’s purpose was to deliver this speech in a way that remains relatable to Americans, hence the many mentions of how she understands them and their feelings are not unreasonable. However, at the same time Roosevelt explains that these same reasonable feelings are not acceptable, a reprimand

that serves to lessen the venomous attitude towards the Japanese that was present at that time. Roosevelt was successful in communicating her suggestion in a simple way that did not stray out of the reach of anyone’s comprehension.
In “Undo the Mistake of Internment,” Eleanor Roosevelt uses careful word choice to create a sympathetic tone with the American public. In the beginning of her speech, Roosevelt says that “these understandable feelings are aggravated by…. The unreasoning racial feelings which some people, through ignorance…” The former use of understandable promotes sympathy with the audience, but the latter use of “ignorance” and “unreasoning” act to draw the line between excusable and inexcusable. She maintains this contrasting pattern throughout her speech, which allows her to put the audience in a placid state where they do not feel attacked or blamed, but receptive to her advice and criticism. To be noted is Roosevelt’s lack of accusatory language throughout the speech- such as “learned from our mistakes” and “we seldom have the foresight.” She refrains from using words of “power” and directly telling the reader what to do or stop doing,