The fear of killing and being killed in battle is no easy thing to contemplate or to inspire. Inspiring soldiers to participate earnestly in battle is crucial to winning wars. Approaches to accomplish this have been studied and tried by military leaders for millennia. George S. Patton attempted this very thing in his speech to the Third Army. Patton delivered a profane and vulgar speech to untried soldiers who have yet to see combat. Patton is able to inspire his soldiers by using his reputation while dismantling his authority, using obscene humor, and appealing to their sense of honor and courage. George Patton was a senior officer and commander of the U.S. Seventh Army during World War II. One of the pioneers in tank warfare, Patton became best known as the most effective general of World War II. Patton led American forces to significant victories on the fronts of North Africa, Sicily, and Europe. Before the European invasion, Patton, along with a major build-up of Allied forces was covertly preparing for the first assaults on German occupied Normandy, France. General Patton’s speech to the Third Army was given on June 5, 1944, in the United Kingdom on the eve of the Allied invasion of Europe (National Endowment for the Humanities, n.a.). This famous speech was given to the soldiers under his command. The speech was delivered as a motivational device by Patton in order to inspire and solidify his men for upcoming challenges. Throughout Patton’s speech, harsh and foul language is used abundantly. The speech begins with Patton identifying the American public opinion of not wanting to enter the war. Patton refuses this and establishes Americans as wanting to fight, and instilling American pride into his audience. Patton then addresses the men’s fears of dying and killing but shadows it with their duty to country, and honor to their manhood. The speech then moves to the importance of being a team and how every man has a crucial part to play, whether it be a truck driver or infantryman. Patton then feels the need to quickly remind everyone that his presence in England is to remain a secret. After this, he reinstates the mission and why they are here. They are here to defeat the Germans in Europe, then move
His Speech to the Third Army starts off in an almost lighthearted tone, “Men, all this stuff you hear about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of bullshit. Americans love to fight” (1). This general mood is kept throughout Patton's speech, including an excess of profanity. Unlike a formal address to a similarly large audience, Patton's way of speaking and structure of words is akin to that of close friends, or soldiers talking in the barracks. As Patton continues to speak, he frequently brings up the importance of a team and the role a soldier has as unit. Even if you are the lowest on the totem pole, he believed that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If every man did his job with the
There are many things that a speech must contain to make it a well written and spoken speech. John F. Kennedy 's speech he gave on September 12th 1962, titled “Address at Rice University on the Nation 's Space Efforts”, better known as “We Choose to go to the Moon” contains many of the important factors of a successful speech. Kennedy used rhetorical strategies and skills to help him influence the American people to help accomplish the major goal of reaching the moon. Kennedy did not only want to reach the moon, but he wanted to be the first country to do so. President Kennedy effectively told the objective he found important by using ethos, pathos and kairos throughout his speech to help get the support of the people. By using these three rhetorical strategies Kennedy gave a moving speech.
Hours after Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan, gaining worldwide headlines, giving millions unanswered questions, the speech, Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation was given one day after the event. On December 8th 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a speech to be remembered today, by using rhetorical devices and figurative language to strongly picture his message to the public, making great use of parallel structure, personification, parallelism, and climax ordering to enforce his key point of wanting Americans to stand up against the Japanese forces for the deliberate actions done towards there peaceful country, with no threat or hint of war or of an armed attack. With hopes of gathering support for the decision to declare war on Japan.
The famous speech Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation by Franklin D. Roosevelt shows us a vast amount of rhetorical appeals: Pathos, Ethos, and Logos to the nation. The speech given by Franklin D. Roosevelt shows us the intended audience and the persuasion used in order to change the peoples’ minds to defend our nation. Let’s begin with the Pathos for this particular speech.
Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; Ffor the very idea of losing is hateful to an American(paragraph #).” This section of the speechquote exemplifies that Patton is using American appeals to conjure up motivation into the troops because so they can feel more encouraged and willing to fight and possibly die by the fact that all Americans are winners and hate to lose. All Americans are the best and real men who like to fight, Patton does this to make the troops want to win. He makes them feel like it’s in their identity and blood to win, he wants them to have the courage and perseverance to win. Also Patton later conjures the image of the comic book superman, He Man, to encourage all men to tap into their own super powers. on says “ Americans pride themselves on being He Men and they ARE He Men. He validates their own superiority by stating, “Remember that the enemy is just as frightened as you are, and probably more so. They are not supermen.” Patton says this to further explain that Americans are winners and they will win this war. Patton is trying to inspire these soldiers by also lowering their reputation of the enemy saying
War requires a lot out of soldiers. They give themselves wholly to their country, including their mind, body, and soul. However, one thing that seems to vary among these men is their sense of duty. In Frank O’Connor’s “Guests of the Nation,” three Irish soldiers form an unlikely friendship with their British prisoners of war. However, things take a turn when they are given orders to execute their new-found friends. When the order reaches the men, the three of them interpret their new duty in various ways. Through the orders of execution, “Guests of the Nation” emphasizes how people react to a sense of duty in varied ways from embracing it with pride, carrying out their duty with confusion and regret, and disobeying by limited participation.
George S. Patton was one of the most highly regarded and successful military leaders in the history of the United States. His military career spanned from the expedition into Mexico throughout WWII. His ability to inspire his troops with his profane filled speeches and his position of always leading from the front gained him vast popularity and fame. Many political leaders considered him too controversial and intemperate at times. This reputation often overshadowed his determination and success as a commander. His bravery and many contributions to several of America’s war efforts has established him as one of the greats in American military history.
“December 7th 1941- A date that will live in infamy.” This opening statement is the first powerful line said by President Roosevelt to the American people after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This greatness of this opening line will be forever be ingrained in the minds of every American citizen, especially the people who lived during the most significant war of the 20th century. The bombing of Pearl Harbor is an event that can never be forgotten, and President Roosevelt’s speech in response to this appalling attack is just as significant. The objective of this speech was to urge Congress to declare war on Japan. Roosevelt’s speech after Pearl Harbor is one of the more recognizable and important speeches in all of American history. His speech incorporates bountiful instances of rhetorical devices, such as logos, pathos, and ethos. By analyzing these rhetorical devices, one is able to see Roosevelt’s vigorous use of emotion, his strength in addressing his character and reputation rather than focusing too heavily upon appeals to logic and reason, ultimately to get the result he wants from his audience. The profound power of this speech resonates with all who read and hear it.
On January 28, 1986, as millions of Americans watched on live television and in person, the Challenger space shuttle exploded and broke up over the Atlantic Ocean just moments after its launch. This space mission was significant for several reason, among them was that it would be the first time where the space shuttle would carry a civilian into outer space. Also, there was a frenzy of interest for Americans as the U.S. and Russians were locked in a space race for space exploration supremacy. Instead. President Ronald Reagan was left with the unenviable duty of consoling a nation that had just witnessed the most significant disaster in American history.
“Yesterday, December 7th, 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” (1). These are the words Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose to begin his Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. FDR’s speech was a call to arms, and in his speech he expressed outrage towards Japan and confidence in inevitable triumph. The speech was a request to declare war against Japan and to bring the United States into World War II. FDR’s speech was successful in bringing the United States into World War II because FDR presented facts explaining why war needed to be declared and used righteous indignation
They hadn’t come here to fear. They hadn’t come to die. They had come to win.”(Prince SJ) — Stephen E. Ambrose, Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. Lieutenant Welsh saw the very embodiment of the american people when he looked at the sleeping soldiers coming to battle. These men had every reason to not fight and to just lay down and not suffer. They chose to stand up and fight because they knew that is was their job to protect not only the freedom of the americans, but also the good of all the people on
George Patton was a decorated U.S World War II general. Throughout the war he was called upon to win important battles. Patton was an extremely aggressive in his battle tactics, which gave him the ability to win battles that other generals could not. Patton was born into a family with a long military history, Patton decided to carry on that tradition and graduate from West Point in 1909. Patton saw his first battle experience during World War I when he led cavalry troops against Mexican forces. Patton continued his career in WWII and had a very important role. Due to George Patton’s tactics to liberate Nazi territory, he able to win crucial battles and push the Germans back to defeat Hitler.
Ronald Reagan, in his speech, (“Berlin Wall”, 1987), the former governor and President of the United States and at the time of the Cold War, “ the most magnetic public figure in the nation”(encyclopedia.com) elucidates to his audience the consequences of residing under the influence of the Soviet Union. Reagan supports his assertion through the use of various rhetorical devices to generate logos, ethos, and pathos. His purpose is to incite a feeling of an injustice done to the people of Berlin and Soviet Allies and to bring down the Berlin Wall as “the most visible symbol of the decades-long Cold War”(History.com) between the Americans and the Soviets during the Cold War. Reagan writes in perfervid tone generated toward the people of Berlin and other Soviet allies in hopes of bringing the Cold War to an end and it is reported by CBS News that he successfully “bolstered the morale of the pro-democracy movement in East Germany”(Brinkley).
Presidents are leaders that strenuously work hard to protect its citizens and nation despite the hurdles they face. Harry S. Truman informed the nation about the difficulties the US had to deal with regarding Korea. He expresses how he truly believes to avoid the third world war, the attacks in Korea had to be stopped. If the plan is successful with no doubt peace would have been obtained. Truman’s speech is effective at persuading the audience how important it is to obtain peace and how his way is possibly the best.
From a fiercely brave General, who strictly enforces customs, bravery, formalities, and success; to a General with a lighthearted-mood, down to earth attitude, a steadfast courage, and a integrity and decency to lead the nations of the world into battle; while both these legendary Generals fought on the same side, both General S. Patton and General D. Eisenhower were distinctly different Generals. This paper seeks to outline the differences and similarities between the two Generals by taking a close look at their lives, and the impacts they had on WWII.