Rhetorical Analysis of Fdr's First Fireside Chat Essay

Two days after taking office, Roosevelt issued a proclamation closing all American banks for four days until Congress could meet in special session to consider banking-reform legislation. So great was the panic about bank failures that the "bank holiday," as the president euphemistically described it, created a general sense of relief. Three days later, Roosevelt sent to Congress the Emergency Banking Act, a generally conservative bill designed primarily to protect the larger banks from being dragged down by the weakness of smaller ones. The bill provided for Treasury Department inspection of all banks before they would be allowed to reopen, for federal assistance to some troubled institutions, and for a thorough reorganization of those in the greatest difficulty.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the US declared war against Japan and Germany. Before this, however, President Franklin Roosevelt urged the US to join the war. In fireside chats and speeches to the public and congress, FDR discussed offering aid to allied countries and a course of action that should be taken. Overall, Roosevelt visioned that America’s role should be to help countries in need by upholding democratic values and lending war materials and money, which would be accomplished by Congress passing laws that allow joining the war effort and offering such aid.

Franklin D. Roosevelt made a perfect speech about freedom and war and he did it using ethos, pathos, and logos. On January 6, 1941, at the University of Maryland, Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered this speech with the purpose of showing Americans issues including war, effectively arguing for the need to go to war using ethos, pathos, and logos. This helped show Americans why they need to take action in the war. The main way he persuaded them was by using ethos, pathos, and logos. Another way he persuaded people was by using his tone and diction to his advantage.

Weeks of wet weather had occurred before Saturday March 4th, 1865, making Pennsylvania Avenue a thick, muddy place; however, the pounding rain did not stop the spectators from listening to Lincoln give his Second Inaugural Address, given one month before the end of the Civil War. The Civil War was the result of a long standing controversy over slavery. The North and the South did not agree with each other. Slavery in the North had died out to the point where almost all blacks were free. The South on the other hand very few blacks were free. Causing a long lastly disagreement between both sides. When Lincoln gave his speech spectators were expecting a speech on slavery when Lincoln gave a dark gloomy speech that no one saw coming. The Civil War had lasted through his passed presidency and ended five days before his death. United States President Abraham Lincoln surprised his massive audience with a very short speech in which he talked about the effects of the Civil War, and expressed his feelings toward the future of the United States. Lincoln wanted to restore faith in the nation, talking about how the war would end soon, and that the nation was going to reunite. In this short speech Lincoln asserts that the audience knows and is knowledgeable about the war, which shows that the Americans know the war was just by using juxtaposition. Lincoln addresses his opinion towards the war, and makes it clear by utilizing biblical allusion, creating a basis of mutual agreement between the North and the South.

Ethos in Greek means character. Ethos refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker. Kennedy uses ethos by letting us know the sources of his facts. He uses ethos when he says that quote about the employment costs was told to him by the Acting Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When Kennedy let the audience know where his sources came from, the audience knows that they can trust what Kennedy says during his speech. The audience will know he isn’t talking non-sense. This means his arguments are more effective, and the audience will want to support his

readers to be also engaged. His tone played a role to plant a sense of alert regarding

FDR knew that to connect with this audience and persuade them to see his point of view, he would have to appeal to them on every level possible. He uses ethos, pathos and logos in the speech to make these connections. The ethics (ethos) of his appeal was aimed at showing Americans that they could not turn a blind eye to the atrocities begin committed by the Axis powers ("World War II Fast"). He also heavily relied on his ability to appeal to the emotions (pathos) to grab the heart of each person listening throughout the

Not only is Ethos and Pathos used effectively in the speech, Logos is as well. Though the use of Logos is used much more indirectly than either of the latter, it is still an important component of the speech. Adm. Mcraven uses Logos by providing support for his statements and lessons taught throughout the speech. For example, Adm. Mcraven explained how one individual could ultimately change the lives of eight-hundred million people by only changing the lives of ten in their lifetime. He supports this claim with mathematical reasoning and evidence, “Ask.Com says that the average American will meet 10,000 people in their lifetime. That's a lot of folks. But, if every one of you changed the lives of just 10 people — and each one of those folks changed the lives of another 10 people — just 10 — then in five generations — 125 years — the class of 2014 will have changed the lives of 800 million people.”

The number one similarity of these two presidents was that they were both presidents of the United States. Lincoln won on the 3rd ballot of the Presidential nomination in 1860. Lincoln was elected the 16th President on November 6, 1860. In 1930, Roosevelt began to campaign for the presidency. He started to run because the economic depression damaged Hoover, and it was a better chance for him to win. In 1932, Roosevelt won the nomination as the Democratic Party candidate for president. In November 1932, Roosevelt beat Hoover by seven million votes. They both wanted the best for the country and they tried their hardest to make the country the best it can be.

When giving a speech a speaker must be able to connect with his audience, the speaker wants his/her speech to be easy to follow and easy to understand. It is for those specific reasons that speakers purposely put in lots of logos, pathos, and ethos into their speeches so that the audiences can connect emotionally, ethically, and intellectually with what they are talking about. A particular speech that uses many examples of pathos, logos, and ethos is The Great Arsenal of Democracy given by President Roosevelt on December 29, 1940. Throughout the speech President Roosevelt uses excessive amounts of pathos to connect with his people emotionally. He

FDR knew that to connect with this audience and persuade them to see his point of view, he would have to appeal to them on every level possible. He uses ethos, pathos and logos in the speech to make these connections. He is a grand orator, often a bit dramatic even, but Roosevelt plays well on their sense of pride many times referring to “the greatness of our nation” ("Franklin Delano").

All these acts had a huge impact on America having long last effects.” The presidential election of 1936, Democrats had a strong fight and Republicans had no chance with Roosevelt running. The Democrats were big on to cure the Great Depression and recover as soon as possible. Roosevelt also was a huge advocate towards blacks and had moral support from the. The Republican running was Alfred M. Landon, a governor from Kansas who was against the New Deal. Roosevelt ended up in winning the election with a number of electoral votes against Landon. His victory had Americans to support the New Deal more than before.

As for Ethos that make the speech more credible, we have the president. The president makes the speech more credible because, he is well-known almost everywhere in the U.S. which gives us the reliability and trustworthiness needed in this situation. Another credibility of this speech would be that it was being played on the radio throughout the U.S., which means it must have been of the utmost importance.

In his masterful first inaugural address, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt strove to inspire confidence and hope towards him, the government, and in the people themselves.Using the three parts of rhetoric, ethos, pathos, and logos, Roosevelt did three main actions that made the inaugural address succeed: while speaking of the evils of the depression, he contrasted it with reaffirming values of the American people, Roosevelt detailed his plan to make America get out of the depression, and finally, asked, not demanded, the people to put their faith in him. And through that, he managed to begin working to end the American Great Depression.

Roosevelt also uses this main topic for the mood of his entire speech; detailing the hopelessness that these families feel during this crucial time. Another great rhetoric device that Roosevelt utilizes in his speech is that of religion. In the closing statement of his inaugural speech, Roosevelt asks that, “In this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He guide me in the days to come.”  His reference to God was added in an attempt to bring together the American people even in the greatest despair by using the topic most relatable for people, especially at this time. Roosevelt also declares that, “These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.” Not only has he successfully engineered his speech in a way that puts audience members in the same state of mind, but he also goes on to enlighten these very same people to further instill hope and pride. Not only is this an effective rhetoric in his speech,