Introduction “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” (Roosevelt, p.1). This was the opening statement of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s address to the nation the day after Japan invaded American territory. Following the Pearl Harbor attacks, Roosevelt gave a powerful speech that was a call to arms and in his speech he expressed outrage towards Japan and confidence in the job of our armed forces. The speech was a request to declare war against Japan and to bring the United States into World War II. His use of rhetorical techniques effectively aided in grasping the attention of his audience and reminded the …show more content…
Using the five canons of rhetoric effectively aids in accomplishing that task. Invention or the use of persuasion through major ideas and lines of argument is the first step in this process. This step includes the 3 artistic proofs which are pathos, ethos, and logos. The use of pathos to appeal to the emotions of one’s audience is highly crucial. Roosevelt focused on the emotions of his audience by expressing forms of togetherness. He provided statements such as “our people, our territory, and our interests” (Roosevelt, p.2) to induce unity of his listeners. To evoke feelings of anger and repulsion in his audience, he stated “The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost” (Roosevelt, p.1). Telling the audience about those specific details would inevitably force them into wanting to seek revenge against Japan. He also used words such as “onslaught”, “deliberately”, and “grave danger” to assist in initiating those negative feelings. Roosevelt also stimulated his audience by inducing feelings of confidence and strength. He expresses sureness in our troops that they “…will win through to absolute victory” (Roosevelt, p.2) which will lead to “inevitable triumph” (Roosevelt, p.2). FDR’s use of pathos heightened the confidence of the American people as they began to focus on entering into World War