How The Rhetorical Devices Used In Winston Churchill's Speech

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There are many specific rhetorical elements used in Winston Churchill’s speech “We Shall Fight on Beaches”. A few of these include repetition, flag waving, and name-calling. The word “we” can be found in several places in Churchill’s speech. A few examples of this are “We shall not be content with a defensive war. We have our duty to our Ally.” along with the following powerful statement that says, “...we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone.” He uses this word to enforce the idea of unity and to remind the people that they are all fighting for the same end goal. By repeating this word, he is bringing everyone together and igniting their resolve after a great loss. …show more content…

Another rhetorical element used in Churchill’s speech is flag waving. Winston Churchill knows that many people are distressed and fearful about the current state of the war and uses patriotism to eliminate their concerns. This can be found in the subsequent text when he says “That is the resolve of His Majesty’s Government-every man of them… the will of Parliament and the nation...we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end…”. Churchill is convincing the public that they will persevere and come out of the war as the victors. Finally, Churchill uses name-calling in his speech as another way to unite the population using an us against them mentality. He uses the word “enemy” to make the distinctions about those who are not an ally of the British people. This again aids in promoting unity as there is a us against them mentality being used. All the rhetorical devices used in Winston Churchill’s speech achieve a sense of comradery amongst the

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