rhetorical analysis essay on fdr pearl harbor speech

• High School
• You don't have any recent items yet.
• You don't have any courses yet.
• You don't have any books yet.
• You don't have any Studylists yet.
• Information

Rhetorical Analysis of Pearl Harbor Address

English composition i (engl 1113), cameron university, recommended for you, students also viewed.

• Adrift in a Moral Sea Esssay XG
• Project 2 Draft 1 - Essay on the lack of awareness for student athletes
• Twisted-Threads - Free book for assignment
• Julius ceasar vocab
• Lirecacy Criticism Of The Frankenstein How Moral Ambiguity Of Characters Lead T
• S0025 5718 1985 0771029 9

Related documents

• Unit 41 - Answers
• 1.05 assignment - Answers
• Lack of exercise - Grade: 85
• Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina
• Rhetorical analysis rough draft
• Legal Analysis Paper

Preview text

Rhetorical Analysis of The Pearl Harbor Address Franklin D. Roosevelt “December 7th, 1941- A date that will live in infamy.” This sentence is forever ingrained in the minds of every well-educated American. The bombing of Pearl Harbor is an event that no one can forget and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech in response to this horrific attack is just as significant. Roosevelt’s speech after Pearl Harbor is one of the most recognizable and influential speeches in American history. It was this that brought America into World War Two and solidified America’s status as the premier world superpower for the next half-century (Joint Address par. 4). Given the day after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, the objective of this speech was to urge Congress to declare war on Japan. The country was still in shock after hearing the news of the bombing, and the tone of this speech was similar to that of George W. Bush’s speech immediately following the attacks on the World Trade Centers. Although the primary purpose of this speech was to urge Congress to declare war on Japan, it was also televised nationally and served the secondary purpose of urging the American people to take up the fight against Japan as well. Roosevelt’s use of both pathetical and logical proofs was extremely effective in spurring America to declare war on the Japanese Empire. The ethos of Roosevelt is quite apparent. As the President of the United States, he is viewed as a credible source of information. At the time that this speech was given, Franklin D. Roosevelt was nearing the end of his fourth and final term as president. This clearly shows that he was well-loved and well-trusted by the people of the United States. They would never have elected him in four straight elections if they did not think that he was a capable and trustworthy leader. Whereas many other speakers might have to prove their credibility with facts and statistics during their speech, Roosevelt does not have to do this because his mere title proves his

credibility for him (Roosevelt par. 8). In addition to the ethos of his political status, Roosevelt also provides a significant number of details about the attack on Pearl Harbor and other attacks that the Japanese carried out in conjunction with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. By sharing additional details about the events of December 7th, it lends credibility to what he was saying about the bombings of Pearl Harbor. If Roosevelt had simply said that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor, it may not have been as well believed as it was since he provided so many details about the attack. However important ethos may be in establishing the credibility of the speaker, Roosevelt’s argument is even more so based on pathetical arguments. Given the emotional nature of this event, it makes sense that Roosevelt’s speech was heavily based on appeals to the emotions of the American people and government. To start, the somber tone of the speech indicates to people the extreme seriousness of the situation at hand. When we hear someone speaking in a very serious tone, we automatically pay attention and are more likely to care about what is being said (Mohan 68-69). Roosevelt goes on to explain how the attacks were premeditated and that there had been severe damage done to American forces and many lives had been lost. This serves to strike into the very hearts of the American people and make them angry about the attacks and eager to retaliate. It is the same idea as with the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centers; George W. Bush’s speech angered the country and thus, most people supported his decision to invade Afghanistan. Both Presidents employed the same “we won’t stand for being attacked like this” theme to call people to follow them. Roosevelt gave people a reason to be angry at the Japanese, “.. government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.” Roosevelt stated. With this, he painted the Japanese as evil aggressors. In a speech designed to

again (Mohan 69). Especially in a world where the image is of supreme importance, if the United States had not struck back, it would have been seen as weak and impotent, possibly leading to invasions by other countries. As with the time shortly after the 9/11 attacks, preemptive warfare was necessary to protect against and prevent further attacks. During his closing statement, Roosevelt said “There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.” This statement creates an obvious and immediate need to respond as soon as possible to protect our country. Roosevelt is proving to everyone that we needed to act immediately. In addition to these arguments, Roosevelt also explains how the distance between the United States and Japan proves that this attack was planned weeks in advance. Knowing that this attack had been planned long in advance meant that the Japanese had been deliberately deceiving the United States with false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace to cover up the fact that they were planning a large-scale air and naval assault. Treachery on this scale warrants a swift and deliberate response to show that we will not stand for being attacked as such and we will retaliate. This speech, given by our 32nd President, is a chilling call to war for both Congress and the American people. The sole purpose of this speech was to convince Congress to declare war on Japan and to rally Americans to the cause. Roosevelt’s uses of mostly pathetical and logical arguments in this situation were undoubtedly extremely effective. Not only did Congress declare a state of war with the Japanese Empire that very day with a unanimous vote in the Senate and a 388 to 1 vote in the House of Representatives, but this speech also spurred the enlistment of hundreds of thousands of Americans into the United States military. These two days in our history, December 7th, 1941, and December 8th, 1941, galvanized the country in a way that had never been seen before and would never be seen again until the terrorist attacks of September

11th, 2001 and it is clear that President Roosevelt’s speech played a large role in this rush of patriotism.

• Multiple Choice

Course : English Composition I (ENGL 1113)

University : cameron university.

• More from: English Composition I ENGL 1113 Cameron University 50   Documents Go to course

• Speech Writing
• Delivery Techniques
• PowerPoint & Visuals
• Speaker Habits
• Speaker Resources

Speech Critiques

• Book Reviews
• Browse Articles
• ALL Articles
• Learn About Us
• About Six Minutes
• Meet Our Authors
• Write for Us
• Advertise With Us

Speech Analysis: Franklin Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address

The next day, Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the United States Congress with his memorable “a date which will live in infamy” speech .

This speech had two purposes:

• To urge Congress to formally declare war on Japan (which they did just minutes later), and
• To rally the American people to support the war effort.

In this speech analysis article, we focus on Roosevelt’s choice of words to see how they helped communicate his message. Then, from these choices, we extract 5 key speech writing lessons for you .

This is the latest in a series of speech critiques here on Six Minutes .

I encourage you to:

• Watch the speech video;
• Read the analysis in this speech critique;
• Study the annotated speech transcript; and
• Share your thoughts on this speech in in the comments.

Video of Franklin Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address

I was unable to find a complete recording with video, but did find these two options:

• Audio-only of full speech , but without video, or
• (Shown below) Video of Roosevelt delivering the speech, but with a few sections omitted.

Emotional, polarizing words: “…a date which will live in infamy…”

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The most memorable phrase of this speech comes in its first line. The label “infamy” foreshadows the tone of the entire speech. Consider the very different tone  resulting from the following alternatives:

• Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a tragic date — …
• Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a pivotal day for our country — …
• Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which we experienced sorrow…
• Yesterday, December 7, 1941, the United States of America was… [that is, suppose no labelling phrase was used at all]

None of these alternatives are consistent with Roosevelt’s goal.

Roosevelt continues to use vivid, emotional words throughout the speech, including:

• “suddenly and deliberately attacked”
• “deliberately planned”
• “deliberately sought to deceive”
• “surprise offensive”
• “unprovoked and dastardly”
• “premeditated invasion”
• “onslaught against us”
• “this form of treachery”

These phrases continue the “infamy” theme, and characterize the Japanese actions as duplicitous and dishonorable.

What’s the lesson for you on your next speech?

Choose words deliberately which match the tone of your speech . If your goal is to ignite polarizing emotions, then choose emotionally charged words as Roosevelt has done. On the other hand, more neutral words would be more appropriate if your goal was to heal wounds.

Variations of “Japan” and “Japanese”

Consider the following phrases:

[…] the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan .

And, later:

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island. Japan has therefore undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area.

By using this exhaustive variety of word forms (“Empire of Japan”, “Japanese Government”, “Japanese forces”, “the Japanese”, “Japan”), Roosevelt makes it clear that the many components of Japan cannot be separated. That is, the attack was not made simply by the Japanese military, but by the Empire, the government, the armed forces, and Japan itself.

Use a variety of related terms to emphasize the whole .

For example, suppose you want to voice opposition to a particular industrial development in your community. In this case, you might use a variety of phrases to communicate the widespread opposition:

[…] the residents of this neighbourhood are opposed […] the business community is opposed […] the taxpayers are opposed […] the media opposes the development […] this environmental impact study blasts it […]

Repetition: “Last night Japanese forces attacked…”

Imagine if the entire passage (“… last night Japanese forces attacked …”) quoted above had been abbreviated to the following sentence, which is identical in meaning:

Yesterday, Japanese forces attacked Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam, the Philippine Islands, Wake Island, and Midway Island.

Would this have had the same rhetorical effect as the six individual sentences? No, not even close!

Roosevelt’s use of repetition amplifies the message and draws more attention to the two key words: “Japanese” and “attacked”. If one were asked to narrow the speech down to just two words, those two words would be “Japanese attacked”.

Use repetition strategically to highlight key words or phrases that carry the weight of your message. Forceful repetition will help these words resonate with your audience.

Pathos: the Emotional Appeal

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

This is the only triad used in the entire speech. More importantly, this is the only appeal to logic (logos) within the speech. Most of the rest of the Roosevelt’s speech is an appeal to emotion (pathos). He seems to be consciously aiming for an emotional, gut-level response from Congress and from the American people.

This is in sharp contrast to the speech which led the United States into World War I, which relied heavily on appeals to logic (i.e. we should enter the war because it is a just war).

Understand the roles of ethos, pathos, and logos in a persuasive speech . Make conscious decisions about when to invoke each one depending on your audience and your message.

A Clear Call-to-Action

Roosevelt’s immediate audience for this speech was the members of the United State Congress. In the final sentence of the speech, Roosevelt clearly asks Congress to make the formal declaration of war:

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

The other audience for this speech was the United States public as a whole. In the sentences which precede the final one above, Roosevelt makes his call-to-action clear to the American people:

[…] that always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. 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 . I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us. Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph , so help us God.

Make your call-to-action clear so that your audience will never wonder what you are asking from them. If your audience is comprised of different groups, use your audience analysis to match a call-to-action to each group.

Legend to Annotations

In the complete speech transcript below, the 8 charismatic leadership tactics are annotated with the following colors. A similar color-coding analysis was performed on Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech .

Speech Transcript

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United States was at peace with that nation , and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific . Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And, while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack. It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu. Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island. Japan has therefore undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation. As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense, that always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us . 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. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us . Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph , so help us God . I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

Please share this...

This article is one of a series of speech critiques of inspiring speakers featured on Six Minutes . Subscribe to Six Minutes for free to receive future speech critiques.

Add a Comment Cancel reply

E-Mail (hidden)

Subscribe - It's Free!

Similar articles you may like....

• Speech Analysis: Gettysburg Address – Abraham Lincoln
• Speech Analysis: I Have a Dream – Martin Luther King Jr.
• Speech Analysis: Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain”
• 5 Speechwriting Lessons from Obama’s Inaugural Speech
• Book Review – Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History (William Safire)
• 2008 Election Night Speech Analysis – Obama and McCain

Find More Articles Tagged:

great use of language, pauses, tone of voice-very uplifting, motivating, and inspiring as well as reassuring confidence and security

Great speech analysis. Im currently in English 1110 at Ohio state and this has helped me a lot. Thank you for sharing this with us.

I learned from this speech that Franklin Roosevelt uses vivid, emotional words throughout his speech. When stating the main idea,FDR was very clear by declaring war on Japan and to rally the American people to support the war effort.

The speech analysis was very helpful. I am currently doing speech for dual enrollment, and this analysis helped by (1 showing the important points in this speech and (2 it also showed how I could apply the president’s speaking skills in my own speeches.

Thanks for this article! I am taking a Public Speaking class and I had to read this article. I will be asked to critique a speech and maybe even develop a speech of my own and your description of charismatic leadership tactics has been very helpful.

Thank you! Thou art brilliant!

Stay dazzling! Dilip Mukerjea

I would like to thank you for taking time to write this article, no matter how long ago it may have been written. Therefore, I don’t even know if you’ll ever see this. But regardless, this definitely helped me a lot for a test I will be having in my 8th Grade American History Class. We are to study Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address thoroughly and this page gave me the ability to understand the tone to the speech, as well as the stress on words like “deliberate,” “Japan,” and “attacked.”

Thank you again for all of your help, Mr. Duglan.

Dear Andrew Stunning! An absolutely brilliant analysis of famous speeches! I wish I had know of your site when I was still a school Headmaster!

Greetings from Sunny South Africa! Regards

Am highly impressed by your work. How l wish you have a seminar or course one can attend. Thanks for the insight.

Recent Tweets

Speech Analysis: Franklin Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address http://t.co/QXm8PepR — NSA ePEG Dec 6th, 2012

Repetition, Emotional Appeal, Call to Action RT @6minutes: Speech Analysis: F Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address http://t.co/I9MdhNck #Speaking — Christian J Pakpahan Dec 6th, 2012

Nice speech analysis here: Franklin Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address http://t.co/khyXnbK3 via @6minutes — Eddie Geier Dec 6th, 2012

Speech Analysis: Franklin Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address http://t.co/uID0SlPr — Jen Juan Dec 6th, 2012

Speech Analysis: Franklin Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address http://t.co/AcYwRDAL via @6minutes — ProPoint Graphics Dec 6th, 2012

Speech Analysis: Franklin Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address http://t.co/xmKfTLKi — Escriba Costa Rica Dec 7th, 2012

Speech Analysis: Franklin Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address http://t.co/CTN4mgk7 — janell payne Dec 7th, 2012

Speech Analysis: Franklin Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address http://t.co/qTqrJd81 — Dr. Richard C.Harris Dec 8th, 2012

Check out this interesting historical speech evaluation: Franklin Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address http://t.co/8Q9V4kzQjH #SPCM101USD — Heather M Siebert (@HSiebertUSD) Feb 26th, 2015

Speech Analysis: Franklin Roosevelt Pearl Harbor Address https://t.co/bw0orYVnrE by @6minutes @wendell_dr @FernandoCorreaJ @BrigGen_Foxtrot — @wolframgonzalez Dec 6th, 2015

Featured Articles

• Majora Carter (TED, 2006) Energy, Passion, Speaking Rate
• Hans Rosling (TED, 2006) 6 Techniques to Present Data
• J.A. Gamache (Toastmasters, 2007) Gestures, Prop, Writing
• Steve Jobs (Stanford, 2005) Figures of speech, rule of three
• Al Gore (TED, 2006) Humor, audience interaction
• Dick Hardt (OSCON, 2005) Lessig Method of Presentation

Books We Recommend

Six Minutes Copyright © 2007-2022 All Rights Reserved.

Read our permissions policy , privacy policy , or disclosure policy .

Comments? Questions? Contact us .

Home — Essay Samples — History — Pearl Harbor — A Day Of Infamy: Speech Analysis

A Day of Infamy: Speech Analysis

• Categories: Pearl Harbor

About this sample

Words: 592 |

Published: Mar 6, 2024

Words: 592 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Rhetorical analysis, impact and legacy.

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: History

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

7 pages / 3196 words

2 pages / 790 words

1 pages / 1157 words

4 pages / 1716 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Pearl Harbor

Seventy years later and the attack on Pearl Harbor is still remembered and considered to be a fundamental part of America’s culture and identity. The Japanese attack that thrust the US into the Second World War will always be [...]

The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, is widely regarded as one of the most significant events in American history. This event changed the course of World War II and had lasting effects on international relations. This [...]

World War II stands as one of the most significant and devastating conflicts in human history, reshaping the geopolitical landscape and leaving an indelible mark on the world. The United States' decision to enter this global [...]

The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, marked a pivotal moment in history and thrust the United States into World War II. This essay delves into the complex factors that motivated Japan to launch this surprise attack, [...]

The Silent Retreat: Indian Removals as Represented by Hobomok and The Pioneers The historicity of the Indian removals that took place during the 19th century in the United States is one that has been embellished in literature [...]

The tragedy of Katrina in 2005 had a large impact, but has anyone taken the time to think about how the government could have contributed to the mass destruction? Peeling back the layers, its evident the government played a [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free