Analysis Of Quit India Speech

Simplistic Persuasion; Quit India
A phenomenal speech given by Mahatma Gandhi called the “Quit India” speech was given on August 8th 1942 on the day before the start of the Quit India movement. Gandhi showed a great passion for this movement and only conveyed a passive determination for his people. This speech was given at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay (now Mumbai). Twenty-four hours after Gandhi’s speech almost the entire Congress leadership was put into confinement, and a great number of them were put into jail. In Mahatma Gandhi’s “Quit India” speech, Gandhi provides nostalgic and bewildering ideas with his choice of diction, while strengthening his perspective and creating a sympathetic and motivational attitude on his resolution. Mahatma Gandhi begins his speech with “Before you discuss the resolution” as a way of stopping the reader or listener and grasping their attention, as well leaving an anticipation for what is to be said next.
While Gandhi begins his speech with a fragment that grabs the readers attention, He then continues to do so throughout the speech by stating a series of nostalgic pieces or open ended suggestions that begin to compose the reader to think. For example, In the first paragraph of his speech he says “There are people who ask me whether I am the same man that I was in 1920, or whether there has been any change in me.” Now this is not directly a question but it provides the reader with a thought and a reason to continue to listen to what he has to say. As well as gives the reader a chance to feel that what they have said has mattered to him and that he listens. In the second paragraph, Gandhi answers the question by saying “I attach the same importance to non-violence that I did then. If at all...

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... genuinely democratic struggle for freedom than ours.” once again mentioning the word “ours” and involving the audience. Gandhi uses a selection of words that involve the audience like “us”, “we”, “you” and etc. Which provides the audience with the word freedom, which is a substantially more effective word than democracy.
Gandhi does a excellent job with providing simplistic ways of strengthening his resolution through open ended suggestions, word choice, involvement, bewildering and motivational ideas. As well as constantly reassuring his audience of his intentions and resolution. Gandhi does a consistent job with his speech by constantly providing ways of strengthening his resolution but containing a passive and motivational attitude as well.

Citations
Gandhi, Mahatma “Quit India” Top 100 Speeches Michael E. Eldenmuller. American Rhetoric. Web. 26 Feb 2014