Rhetorical Analysis Of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Speech

The thirty-second President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt in his speech, Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941, defines the brutal attacks by the Japanese. Roosevelt's purpose is to persuade Americans to join in the war effort and come together as a country. He adopts a resentful, patriotic tone in order to thoroughly bring attention to the recent attack and the course of action this entails. Roosevelt initiates his speech by describing the attack on Pearl Harbor the previous day and acknowledging the everlasting effect it will put on the country. He appeals to the emotional side of the audience using pathos by announcing that “this is a day that will live in infamy” (1) and that the United States was “suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” (1-2). This gives his audience a sense of security and relief as this implies that the United States would have stopped the attack if knowledge was present. Furthering the security, he states that he wants to unify the nation and “take all measures” in order to maintain defense and protection.

He claimes “as commander in chief of the Army and Navy, i have directed that all measures be taken in our defense” (22). He follows this with asking that “the Congree declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 17th, a state of war has existed between the united states and the Japanese Empire” (30-31). As the leader of the nation and showing his deep care and anger towards the attacls, the citizens choose to listen to him as a voice of reason and trust him.
After the horrific attacks on pearl harbor, President Roosevelt makes a speech stating the event and the next stepts to be taken. This convunces the nation to come together to support the war and convinces congress that the decision is one that must be