As the speech continues, he starts to pick up the tone, to stir the emotions of the American people. a day that will live in infamy." FDR also uses words like 'suddenly ' and 'deliberately ' in a soft tone to present the ruthlessness of the Japanese empire 's attacks. The most famous sentence of the speech shows how he creates a depressing, respectful-like emotion for the listeners ". The first portion of the speech was more depressing and sorrowful compared to the remainder of the speech. By using a subtle, somber and solemn tone, he can make the listeners focus of the catastrophic event that happened, respecting the people that were affected from it. The first literary device …show more content… Towards the beginning of his speech he starts off with a calm tone when addressing the tragic event that occurred at Pearl Harbor. In FDR 's "Infamy" speech, he uses repetition and emotional phrases, while keeping a subtle tone, to rally the American citizens to support war efforts against the Japanese empire. That declaration was formally announced during Roosevelt 's well-structured speech to alert the American people. After Pearl Harbor was attacked, The United States declared war against the Japanese Empire. On December 8th, 1941, FDR spoke before the citizens of the United States, delivering one of the most renowned speeches of American History. Roosevelt, a day after Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese forces. But it transformed the nation from a state of shock into a state of war.Show More "December 7th, 1941, a day that will live in infamy." The famous words stated to the American people by president Franklin D. Sparrow added, “He put the weight of the world on his paralyzed legs and carried America from the past into the future, and changed us from an isolationist nation into a global superpower.” “By holding his weight in that manner, he’s able to pitch his body forward slowly and walk to the rostrum to deliver the speech.”
“He’s supporting his weight as he did in public on a cane and on his son’s arm,” Eberhardt said. When he addressed the joint session of Congress, Roosevelt - who was paralyzed by polio from the waist down - insisted on walking to and from the podium. “He felt that he was going to go down in history as a terrible president, that this would ruin his place in history,” Sparrow said. “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”įor all his public confidence, Roosevelt also had moments of private despair. “He knew that the American public wanted to hear that we had been wronged and that we will find a way to victory,” Sparrow said. The State Department drafted a 17-page speech rehashing the history of U.S.-Japanese relations, but Roosevelt set it aside and went with his gut. Sparrow said, “Some of his advisors, the Secretary of State, Secretary of War, wanted him to deliver a much longer speech.” “And in the process transforms that sentence into one that really rings down through the decades to us today.” “He takes that first sentence, which originally read, ‘Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in world history,’ he strikes out ‘world history,’ changes that to ‘infamy,’” Eberhardt said. The first draft of President Roosevelt’s speech to the Joint Session of Congress, asking for a declaration of war against Japan. Two-and-a-half pages in length, it begins with what would become one of the most famous sentences in American history. And then FDR himself did all of the editing in pencil to his own speech.”Īnd here it is - edited by Roosevelt in his own hand. “After he finished she left the room and typed it up, brought it back to him. “He dictated most of it without interruption, punctuating, letting her know where the periods and the exclamation points needed to go.
“She says that he lit a cigarette, took a long drag on the cigarette, leaned back in his chair and then just began to dictate the speech,” Eberhardt said. Heavy personnel casualties.” Then he turned to his secretary, Grace Tully, to compose a message to the American people. He’s clearly upset, but he is under control and he is processing information, and he’s not losing his cool.”Īt 3:50 - as Roosevelt noted - he received this update: “Severe damage. They described him, Eberhardt said, as “angry but composed. At 3:05 in the afternoon, the president convened a war council with his chief military and diplomatic advisors.