After the Japanese attack on the United States Navy base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan. When Germany and Italy then declared war against the United States, World War II truly became worldwide. In his speech First War Address Before Congress, made on January 6, 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt mentions several things: past historical events that led to the present situation, the necessity of war-production, the attempt to justify war, the creation of a negative picture of the enemy and a positive picture of his own people and claims that only total victory over the enemy can end the war, to mention just a few.
War rhetoric as such is part of the actual war, so its creation and development goes back quite a time in history as the human race has always made war upon each other. The first war message of the United States was the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Besides the common features of war rhetoric the Declaration of Independence and later United States´ war messages (up to today′s messages by George W. Bush) also include specific American features. In this term paper I am going to show that by using the techniques of war rhetoric Franklin Delano Roosevelt creates an imaginary two-sided world. To emphasize the importance of this two-sided world-view and for an overview that will serve for the whole term paper I collected and arranged examples from the speech in two charts. After setting up the two sides I will go into further detail and examine this both sides in more detail: the creation of a negative picture of the enemy on the one side and the diminishing of one´s own soldiers` actions by using euphemisms on the other side. The overall aim of war rhetoric is to justify the war and to unite the nation in order to defeat the enemy. This is the point where all the little details again meet and the parts of the speech unite into one basic concept.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- "They" contra "We"
- Picture of the enemy
- Accusing the enemy of breaking the law
- The enemy as a demon
- The enemy and his nation
- Euphemism
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This term paper analyzes President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "First War Address Before Congress" to show how he creates a two-sided world-view using techniques of war rhetoric. The paper examines the creation of a negative picture of the enemy and the use of euphemisms to diminish the actions of American soldiers, both of which contribute to the overall aim of justifying the war and uniting the nation.
- The creation of a two-sided world-view in war rhetoric.
- The use of "we" and "they" to create a binary division between the good and bad.
- The construction of a negative image of the enemy through accusations, demonization, and caricature.
- The use of euphemisms to downplay American actions and casualties.
- The unifying effect of war rhetoric in justifying the war and mobilizing the nation.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter sets the context for the analysis by discussing the historical circumstances of the speech and the role of war rhetoric. It also outlines the structure of the paper, focusing on the two-sided world-view created in the speech.
- "They" contra "We": This chapter explores how Roosevelt divides the world into two opposing sides through the use of "we" and "they." It examines the contrasting adjectives and actions attributed to each group, highlighting the stark difference between the "good" side and the "bad" side.
- Picture of the Enemy: This chapter delves into the methods used to create a negative image of the enemy. It focuses on the accusations leveled against the enemy, the demonization of their actions, and the creation of a caricature of their nation.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key terms and concepts explored in the paper include war rhetoric, two-sided world-view, "we" versus "they," enemy image, demonization, euphemisms, propaganda, justification of war, national unity, and World War II.
- Quote paper
- Renate Bagossy (Author), 2003, The two-sided world-view in Roosevelt´s "First War Address Before Congress", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/19477
