The given text is an extract from former Great Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s speech, “We Shall Fight on the Beaches,” delivered to the House of Commons on June 4th, 1940. Through the contextual appreciation of the speech in conjunction with the distinct conventions of the text, it can be inferred that the text type is that of a political speech targeted at primarily revealing to the British people the notion of a possible German invasion whilst simultaneously pacifying rising qualms. Accordingly, Churchill employs numerous rhetorical devices and structural conventions to ultimately augment the progression of his central argument and coax his audience, utilizing charismatic oratory abilities, into believing that United Kingdom was equipped to confront the Germans and would not relinquish its dignity at any cost.
The target audience of this speech comprises predominantly of members of the House of Commons, who are representative of the people of Britain and play a critical role in the passing of laws. It can thus be assumed that the premise of Churchill’s speech was to convince the members of the validity of the choices made by the British government in regards to the prevalent conflict with the Germans and essentially gain their approval to proceed with the outlined intentions. For instance, Churchill states that taking “measures of increasing stringency” were deemed as a necessity against “enemy aliens,” “suspicious characters of other nationalities,” and “dangerous British subjects.” In saying so, Churchill facilitates an understanding of the urgency of the situation at hand and embeds the same in the audience as the negative connotations accompanied by the specific diction in reference to the Germans provokes the audience to construct a dehumanized image of the ultimate enemy and hence enhances the sentiment of animosity directed at the Germans during World War II. Moreover, in the concluding paragraph of the speech, Churchill repeats the idea that the British people could only triumph over the Germans by collectively persisting as he states, “We shall go on to the end,” and continues each successive clause with “we shall.” Hence, it can be deduced that the speech also attains the purpose of acting as a call to action for the target audience—the British people—in the conflict against the Germans.
The specific content incorporated in the speech is crucial in pertinence to the fact that the carefully chosen content aids Churchill in deftly building up the efficacy of the principal ideas conveyed. In the excerpt presented, Churchill first establishes an impression that Great Britain is fairly under control of the situation as he cements the implementation of “stringent measures” and the bestowal of “power” by the Parliament to oust “Fifth Column activities”. The audience subsequently is made to feel somewhat at ease as Churchill asserts his credibility as a leader and thus solidifies ethos in appearing to be a trustworthy figure. Furthermore, the technique of eponym used in referring to “Fifth Column activities” is indicative of the clans within Great Britain that were supportive of the Germans. Churchill then advances to address the issue of a potential invasion and in a sense consoles his audience using the promises of “sea power” and “air power,” which were Britain’s most noteworthy military outlets at the time. Following the brief mention of the invasion, Churchill reverts to iterating the government’s efforts and the resolve that they had to be victorious, thus inspiring the audience to lay their faith in the government, while taking on a more nationalistic outlook. Finally Churchill concludes the speech by affirming the point that surrendering was not an option and the nation would go to whatever lengths necessary to protect its stance and not succumb to Nazi Germany. It can be noted that Churchill does not necessarily maneuver around the conflict diplomatically as a politician would normally do, but instead is relatively explicit in terms of name-calling Germany as the enemy and thus grounding his argument in a very direct political discourse which intends to precisely acquaint the audience with the issue and emphasize the necessity for solidarity through the rhetoric of logos. In totality, the specific content incorporated in the speech collectively serves the purpose of successfully conveying a logical argument to the audience. On the other hand, the theme of this text is centralized on the prominence of the British people’s support to the government and the call to unify the nation to jointly endure and overcome the ordeal of involvement in a conflict with Germany. The elemental ideas that suggest the theme is evident in diction like “novel stratagem,” “resolve,” and in phrases like “we shall not flag or fail.” Moreover, an undercurrent of patriotism further elevates the central essence of the ubiquitous theme. Thus, the content and theme of the speech act as inextricable elements that contribute to enhancing the value of the speech.
The underlying tone that Churchill delivers his speech with can be deemed as a melange of assurance, patriotism, and urgency. The aforementioned tones manifest sequentially as Churchill effectually juxtaposes his ideas in a manner that allow for the three tones to emerge progressively. Churchill mentions the implementation of stringent measures and the adoption of “novel methods” to combat the German forces, which contribute to accenting the assuring tone. The tone of patriotism runs throughout the speech as ultimately every idea mentioned in the speech is in association with advantageous results for the people of the nation. The urgency is evident in Churchill’s concluding paragraph as he ends on a note of a call to action through the unification of the nation against a common arch nemesis: “we shall not flag or fail.” The mood established as a result of the speech is substantially tense as the British people digest the possibility of an imminent threat to the nation. Additionally, a sense of trepidation is also instilled in the audience in response to the anticipated invasion as Churchill makes note of the deleterious consequences faced by “great many people” who were “passionate enemies of the Nazis.” Towards the end however, a considerably stimulating atmosphere is cemented as Churchill uses repetition in the phrase “we shall” to heighten the significance of the points being articulated. The speech, in the entirety, emphasizes the need for the people of the nation to coalesce and treats the matter with much passion and great deliberation as evident in the jargon-rife approach that Churchill adopts in his speech. Finally an underpinning of strength and hope can be deduced from the speech as Churchill mindfully tackles the manner in which he speaks in order to appeal to his audience and show them an aperture in the gloom of World War II. Therefore, the tone and mood of the poem align with the message being conveyed and thus propel Churchill in achieving his main intentions.
Churchill employs a wide range of rhetorical devices and intentional stylistic choices in his speech to essentially accentuate the impact of his words on his audience and thus persuade them of his chief intentions in the ongoing conflict with Germany. The first and foremost overarching observation is the repetitive use of the personal pronoun “we,” which has been used throughout the extract in two denotations; one being Churchill and the government and the second being the former in conjunction with the commonalty of Britain. The constant repetition of this pronoun establishes a more inclusive atmosphere for the audience, which consequently urges them to be more receptive of the ideas presented by Churchill. Moreover, the same also cements a sense of unity in the nation, as Churchill’s speech is indicative of success only being plausible if the people act as a union. Another focal element of Churchill’s linguistic panache is the ubiquitous use of dysphemism. For instance, in utilizing specific diction like “malignancy,” “stamped out,” “tyrants,” and “subjugated,” Churchill evokes an emotional response tinged by aggression and a corresponding desire for vengeance in the audience. The use of political jargon and glittering generalities is also rife in Churchill’s speech—parliament, Fifth Column activities, House, French Republic, comrades— which serves the purpose of re iterating his credibility as an intellectual politician, therefore provoking the audience to rely on him, as an element of ethos is present and appeals to the listener. In the quote “If all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made.” Churchill effectually utilizes the literary tool of tricolon to sequentially accent the necessary factors for Great Britain’s success and allow the audience an insight into the same while laying great emphasis on the contribution of the audience. The literary device of assonance can be identified in Churchill’s use of “odious apparatus of Nazi rule” as the subtle repetition of the ‘o’ and ‘a’ sounds enhances the euphony of the line whilst conveying the deep abhorrence that Churchill exhibits in regards to the Germans. A ‘transfer affect’ is apparent in this quote, as the audience is provoked to experience a mutual hatred for the enemy due to the strong negative connotations and associations with the choice of words. Furthermore, the rhetorical device of anaphora is heavily utilized in the concluding paragraph as Churchill begins each consecutive phrase with “we shall” to ultimately underline the premise of the speech and end the speech on a wistfully evocative note, invoking the audience to join him in his war efforts. Finally, the explicit allusion to the United States as the “New World” serves the purpose of posing as means of comfort for the people of Britain as the New World’s support suggested that Great Britain had two worthy allies (the French and the United States) to aid them in combatting the Germans. Thus, Churchill uses his literary flair to verbalize a speech rife with deliberate stylistic choices that act as pathos and thus galvanizes them into action.
The structure that Churchill follows in his speech is not very definite as he tends to highlight multiple ideas simultaneously, which is an appealing factor that enhances the effectiveness of his argument. In a more general sense however, Churchill logically outlines his main points as he first comforts his audience through the promises of eradicating the enemy and then divulges the possibility of an invasion, following which Churchill returns to accenting the collective duty of the people of the nation. Finally, Churchill concludes his speech with a powerful culmination of his call to action to the audience. Hence, the sequential structure that Churchill employs in his speech efficiently creates a dichotomy between the main ideas presented whilst concurrently linking each idea to the next and thus elevating the central persuasiveness of his speech.
All in all, Churchill commendably puts into effect his oratory flair to formulate a heavily persuasive speech that serves the ultimate purpose of convincing the British people to be patient in regards to the prevailing political mayhem due to the possibility of a German invasion of the nation. Churchill’s effective integration of rhetorical devices further propels his eloquently articulated argument and the persuasiveness of his political speech.
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