Wiglaf and MacArthur Speech Analysis
Wiglaf and MacArthur’s speeches were both toward soldiers and were both very motivating. However, there are many differences between the two when it comes to the purpose, tone and syntax elements. Wiglaf is furious with these warrior Geats because they have abandoned Beowulf. His intent is to either encourage them to re-join Beowulf and himself in fighting the dragon or to make them feel guilty for their cowardly behavior as warriors. He also exemplifies the importance of being loyal to your leader. MacArthur’s has more to do with speaking of patriotism and what the soldier’s duty is. He wants to bring to the table the history of the American soldier and explain why he or she is still important in today’s society. The tone of Wiglaf’s speech is accusatory, critical, but whimsical at times because he reminds them of times in the Mead Hall when they promised to serve Beowulf with their lives. MacArthur’s tone is inspiring and motivational, yet mournful and powerful when talking about the debts American soldiers have paid. Wiglaf’s speech had a lot of words like “boasting”, “swore”, “trusting”, “promises”, to evoke a sense of guilt in his audience. Wiglaf is a soldier, therefore, he uses a lot of battle language, which affects the diction. The last two lines make concrete the image of Wiglaf, a soldier, using the words helmet, sword, byrnie and battle dress. The use of pathos is used more in MacArthur’s speech. His primary usage of pathos can be seen in his guarantee of betterment under the circumstances that the cadets maintain the values instilled in them by the West Point Military Academy. This promise of gain can be seen in MacArthur’s phrase, “Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.” MacArthur uses ethos through his use of personal experience and credentials in order to show that he too has been in the same position as the cadets there that day and that by upholding