Analysis: Rhetoric and Speech
Konovalova Zilya gr. 293 “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat” Winston Churchill's speech analysis
The famous speech from Churchill is chosen as the subject of the study. Public speech, as important social-cultural phenomena, is an effective way to express feelings and convey ideas. In order to be attractive and persuasive, a successful speech should be formal and vivid at the same time. These requirements make a public speech have its own unique style.
Public speeches are formal and so as this speech “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat”.
Lexically, a lot of formal words were used in the speech such as commission, rigor, summon, undertaking, preliminary, ordeal, grievous, confer, conceive, buoyancy, etc. And many of these words origin from Latin or French: commission, rigor, confer (Latin); summon, preliminary, grievous, conceive (French/Old French). The use of these formal words makes the speech sound solemn and powerful.
The language is full of intensifiers, including superlatives (greatest, best, most, fastest), comparatives, and exaggeration. These are all examples of how Churchill intensifies his appeal wage war. He makes it give the impression as if there is no other alternative but to fight against the Nazis keep Britain’s pride. The speaker emphasizes the importance of the war, and how it will affect the future.
“…we are in the preliminary stage of one of the greatest battles in history,”
“We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind”
“We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering”
“with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime.”
The superlatives really enhances the message Churchill is trying to give, and changes the tone of the speech. It makes Churchill appear bolder, and the situation more serious.
Also, instead of phrasal verbs, many
The famous speech from Churchill is chosen as the subject of the study. Public speech, as important social-cultural phenomena, is an effective way to express feelings and convey ideas. In order to be attractive and persuasive, a successful speech should be formal and vivid at the same time. These requirements make a public speech have its own unique style.
Public speeches are formal and so as this speech “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat”.
Lexically, a lot of formal words were used in the speech such as commission, rigor, summon, undertaking, preliminary, ordeal, grievous, confer, conceive, buoyancy, etc. And many of these words origin from Latin or French: commission, rigor, confer (Latin); summon, preliminary, grievous, conceive (French/Old French). The use of these formal words makes the speech sound solemn and powerful.
The language is full of intensifiers, including superlatives (greatest, best, most, fastest), comparatives, and exaggeration. These are all examples of how Churchill intensifies his appeal wage war. He makes it give the impression as if there is no other alternative but to fight against the Nazis keep Britain’s pride. The speaker emphasizes the importance of the war, and how it will affect the future.
“…we are in the preliminary stage of one of the greatest battles in history,”
“We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind”
“We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering”
“with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime.”
The superlatives really enhances the message Churchill is trying to give, and changes the tone of the speech. It makes Churchill appear bolder, and the situation more serious.
Also, instead of phrasal verbs, many