Rhetorical Essay on President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Speech Declaring War on Japan I reviewed the speech given by, where he officially declared war with Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born and raised in the New York area, graduating from New York’s Columbia University with a law degree. As a practicing lawyer he decided to enter politics, and the Democratic Party, by running for New York State Senate in 1910. In 1928 Roosevelt aimed even higher on the political scale and became Governor of New York. Finally in 1932, following years of political experience, Roosevelt ran against Herbert Hoover for President of the United States and by 7 million votes took the victory. As President, Roosevelt he faced many challenges including The Great Depression, World War Two, and one of the biggest attacks on American soil known to man, the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. On December 8th, 1941, the following day Roosevelt presented a historic speech to the United States Congress that would be remembered forever as he declared war with Japan. I chose to critique this powerful speech for many reasons, some being personal. After watching it I was very moved. I think that this is probably one the most powerfully spoken and articulated speeches I have personally ever heard given and it really caught my interest. I also thoroughly enjoyed listening because you could hear the passion, almost anger, in his voice about the subject. Finally I feel as if this speech is a part of my own personal history, seeing as how my Grandfather was in Pearl Harbor as it was hit. He would never speak of it, but often woke up with night terrors from the event. Him having survived such an awful attack, knowing the pride he must have felt in his country when he heard this speech delivered is unimaginable and slights emotional for me as a Granddaughter to a World War Two veteran. The purpose of this speech in my opinion has various goals. There is the very clear one, the overall goal of this speech, which is the Presidents message to congress that is it inevitably time to declare war with Japan. I feel as if he does have an underlying goal to the purpose of his words being to light a patriotic fire under congress and the American people for the injustice that occurred in the attack. He uses his stern but heartfelt words and articulation to arouse a sense of national pride and need for action against Japan. Roosevelt opens his speech with report of the attack on Pearl Harbor, using this to announce the reason for their gathering that day. He continues to relay his disgust with the almost sarcastic diplomatically pleasant message sent to the United States from japan directly following the attack. He uses that to give the impression that Japan has attempted to make a fool of the American people and administration. He uses an incredibly powerful reference when he refers to himself as commander and chief while giving this speech, giving himself a sense of intense credibility when ensures the American people that he will go to greatest measures to make sure “that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us”, and the assurance of an “inevitable triumph”. He
