Franklin Roosevelt Ethos Pathos Logos

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“A date which will live in infamy” (Roosevelt), is one of the most recognizable quotes from American history. These seven words invoke emotion throughout most, if not all Americans, even without the mention of the event in which the words are referring to. Franklin Roosevelt was one of our many United States presidents. Although he was known for many different accomplishments such as the Social Security Act, his speech following the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 will always be one of his most memorable achievements. During his War Address, Roosevelt attempts to invoke the emotions of all U.S. citizens, fortifying the idea that America has declared a state of war against the Empire of Japan.

Initially, Roosevelt starts his speech by recalling the events of December 7th, 1941 chronologically; making sure that those who were uninformed of the tragedy would know every important detail. With each detail, Roosevelt gains credibility and trust through sharing details that would not normally be public information. One very important detail noted by Roosevelt
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With each emerging detail, credibility is established, along with the previously established ethos of being the president of the United States for two terms. Pathos, or appeals to emotion, are used throughout the speech by mentioning very deep details and using diction to rally the American people into redirecting their emotions of sadness into hatred and pride for their country. Lastly, Roosevelt uses all of his factual information in order to formally back his logical decision to declare war against the Empire of Japan. This incredibly well-written speech, given by the leader of a country after a tragedy, invokes emotions and appeals to logos and ethos in order to prepare and inform the American people of the declaration of The United States’ stand in World War