In March of 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his first inaugural address to a nation that was in the midst of the Great Depression and declared a war on poverty. He specifically greets former President Hoover and Chief Justice Charles Evan Hughes, yet he is mainly addresses the general public with a determination to overcome the economic issues that the Great Depression brought to the people. Although, he mentions the state of the economy throughout his address, FDR hopes to revive “the American spirit” sought by his predecessors so that every American citizen would be able to have a brighter future. He reinforces the importance of “the American spirit” through various rhetorical devices.
Throughout his whole speech, Roosevelt aims to unify …show more content…
These are crucial attributes in being a great leader, especially when promising he will perform his role as president “unhesitatingly” in times of crisis. The President encourages the public to trust his judgement with the use of anadiplosis and parallel structures. In the beginning of his speech, FDR states that his nation will not “shrink” away from its current conditions. President Roosevelt then declares his theory that the one “thing we have to fear is fear itself.” The typical use of anadiplosis is to emphasize a point; in Roosevelt’s case, he emphasizes the point that America needs to remember to be brave while facing adversity. However, the phrase itself has a deeper meaning; fear is usually associated with chaos or mass confusion and doubt which in any situation makes the solution harder to get to. So, by saying that the “only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” Roosevelt implies that fear makes a situation worse and that fear is the last thing the impoverished nation needs. The historic words spoken by FDR were meant to restore faith in the economy and to inspire his audience to help rebuild a stronger nation, the same type of motivation that “the American spirit” was based on. Also in this section, the President uses parallel structures with infinitive phrases to emphasize his main point. Roosevelt uses the infinitive “will” to set a course of action for the country, that America “will endure… will revive and will prosper.” The President knows that the repetition of keywords and phrases helps embed them into his audience 's memory, and with the addition of the rhythm created by the clauses makes the phrase similar to a motto for the generation. FDR’s intends for these verbs to encourage self-confidence in the majority of Americans struggling in the Great Depression. The use of parallel structures helps FDR to bring his belief in the nation to light
Throughout his whole speech, Roosevelt aims to unify …show more content…
These are crucial attributes in being a great leader, especially when promising he will perform his role as president “unhesitatingly” in times of crisis. The President encourages the public to trust his judgement with the use of anadiplosis and parallel structures. In the beginning of his speech, FDR states that his nation will not “shrink” away from its current conditions. President Roosevelt then declares his theory that the one “thing we have to fear is fear itself.” The typical use of anadiplosis is to emphasize a point; in Roosevelt’s case, he emphasizes the point that America needs to remember to be brave while facing adversity. However, the phrase itself has a deeper meaning; fear is usually associated with chaos or mass confusion and doubt which in any situation makes the solution harder to get to. So, by saying that the “only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” Roosevelt implies that fear makes a situation worse and that fear is the last thing the impoverished nation needs. The historic words spoken by FDR were meant to restore faith in the economy and to inspire his audience to help rebuild a stronger nation, the same type of motivation that “the American spirit” was based on. Also in this section, the President uses parallel structures with infinitive phrases to emphasize his main point. Roosevelt uses the infinitive “will” to set a course of action for the country, that America “will endure… will revive and will prosper.” The President knows that the repetition of keywords and phrases helps embed them into his audience 's memory, and with the addition of the rhythm created by the clauses makes the phrase similar to a motto for the generation. FDR’s intends for these verbs to encourage self-confidence in the majority of Americans struggling in the Great Depression. The use of parallel structures helps FDR to bring his belief in the nation to light