Rhetorical Analysis: We Shall Fight On The Beaches

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On June 4, 1940 (The Churchill Centre), war in Europe had been raging for eight dreary months and the House of Commons had met to discuss the war. Operation Dynamo, which was the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk, had happened on May 26, bringing over 338,000 men to safety with the help of the Royal Air Force (The Churchill Centre). Even though they had managed this small victory, Germany had taken over much of Europe in this short amount of time and people were fearing that even Great Britain might fall to Hitler. Hitler used the technique of blitzkrieg or, “lightning war”. Basically, waves of planes would bomb and area and then tanks would roll through with foot soldiers following. This tactic had been working effectively throughout Europe; Germany now set its sights on England. Winston Churchill gave his “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” speech to see where the people sat in a state of mind and confidence. His goal was to inspire the people to fight until the last man as well as make an appeal to the United States to fight with them and join the war. Churchill used pathos to appeal to the zeal and patriotism of the people. He also used logos to prove to the people it's …show more content…
People, who had been bombed incessantly for months, had constantly lived in the storm and danger of the bombs. Churchill then transitioned to his rally cry, his call to arms. “We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender”. This use of anaphora and caesura moved people to rise from their seats in applause. It moved people and gave them new hope for what seemed to be a dreary and endless

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