Rhetorical Analysis Of Pearl Harbor Address To The Nation

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December 7, 1941 a day when terror struck the United States. The surprise attack by the Japanese Empire on the United States will never be forgotten. This event caused destruction to not only helpless people but also to the country as a whole. On December 8, 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was president at the time, gave a speech titled " Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation." During this speech he was addressing both Congress and the nation about this horrible attack. I can tell that he knows and cares dearly about this topic because he states, " 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"(Roosevelt). That statement just shows that no matter what he has to do he is willing lead the American people to overcome this attack. Roosevelt had two audiences during this speech Congress and the nation. Congress heard the speech in person; whereas, the nation heard it over the radio. Even though he gave the speech to two audiences, I believe he does a good job throughout the speech of not just focusing on one audience but keeping it equal between both of them. One line in his speech states, " I believe that I interpret the will of …show more content…

When listening to his speech I could tell through his tone that he was very sincere about what he was saying and had prepared the speech before it was given. He had two purposes for giving this speech one was to inform the audience about what had just happened and the second was remind the nation to remain calm and that they were in a safe place. He reminds the nation that they are safe by stating, " ...I have directed that all measure be taken for our defense"(Roosevelt). This also ensures that he isn't just sitting back and watching it happen that he is doing something to make a

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