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” Which he used to tell the audience that he had no idea the attack was coming he wanted to be sure everyone understood the situation. He states that, “The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. Roosevelt uses Pathos throughout the speech to appeal to the American’s emotions and persuade them to want revenge for Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt used the speech to educate the American people on the occurrence of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 as well as to justify his reasons for going to war with the Japanese people. We can also rightly assume that the American people are an indirect audience or secondary audience, because Roosevelt needs the support of the people in order to go to war. The speech’s audience is undoubtedly the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, the members of the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Roosevelt asked for a Joint Session of Congress in which only the most important issues are discussed which gives the American People an idea of the magnitude of the matter at hand this establishes credibility or Ethos right off the bat. He reminded his listeners in Congress and across the nation that the United States at peace when it was “suddenly and deliberately attacked.” Later, he asks Congress to declare that since the attack, a state of war “has existed” between the United States and Japan.A Day Which Will Live in Infamy Franklin D. Given what we know of his eloquence, this was clearly a deliberate choice, and was intended to further strengthen his appeal to declare war. Speaking Passively in a Time of ActionĮvery writer knows that using the active voice is almost always preferred, yet in many parts of the speech, Roosevelt employed the passive voice. Roosevelt was saying that because of the horrific events that had occurred the day before, the date would be seared in everyone’s memory. The date, however, was December 7, 1941, and that would happen only once. Sundays come around once a week and they can’t all be infamous. This is sometimes misquoted as a “day” that would live in infamy, but there is a very clear distinction between those two words. During his speech, Roosevelt called Decema “date which will live in infamy.” The speech starts with a very calculated choice of words that’s so subtle that it’s easy to miss. “Date”ĭecembecame a date which would live in infamy. Let’s have a look at a few of its distinctive features. Breaking Down Roosevelt’s Day of Infamy SpeechĮver since it was delivered, scholars of Pearl Harbor history have been examining the speech from every angle to explain its profound impact. But is it really a surprise that a speech intended to reach that outcome succeeded so well, especially since the attack was still so fresh the nation’s consciousness? Clearly, Roosevelt’s words were carefully chosen to guarantee the declaration of war, even though it was likely that Congress would have voted in favor of it anyway. The speech was so effective that Roosevelt was able to secure a near-unanimous vote to go to war with Japan. His address, known as the “Day of Infamy” speech, was brilliant and passionate, and would go down as one of the most important speeches ever made by an American president. Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of the United States Congress to discuss the events that unfolded at Pearl Harbor the previous day. On Monday, December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. President Roosevelt Delivers the Day of Infamy Speech to Congress