Rhetorical Analysis Blog

Throughout Winston Churchill's career as Prime Minister of Great Britain, he was known for his public speaking skills and ability to connect with his audience. Churchill used his writing and oratorical skills to get his point across in a very charismatic manner. Better known as rhetoric. Our first definition in class was anaphora, which Churchill used expertly in his writings. In his speech "Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat" he used anaphora twice. "We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many long months of toil and struggle. 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" (Winston S. Churchill). These quotes are very powerful, it shows Churchill's determination to defend his homeland and rally the citizens of Great Britain. Churchill gave this speech before the Nazi “blitz” over Great Britain that handed Hitler his first defeat
of the war.

In the midst of the heavy bombing over Great Britain, Churchill used anaphora at the beginning of every sentence in one of his greatest speeches ever "Never Surrender" to rally the citizens of Great Britain. "We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. 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! (Winston Churchill). These speeches are a clear example of how rhetorical writing is so influential to an audience.

In the speech "Never Give In" Churchill gave the following month, he used anaphora and diction very well. "This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty (diction)—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy"(Winston Churchill). Churchill was so influential to the British that they would literally fight to the last man for him. His expertise in speech giving has earned him the title of the greatest Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Churchill’s passion and patriotism permitted his rhetorical flourishes to sidestep demagoguery. In a historical perspective his speechmaking to the British Empire was worth perhaps 3-4 British Expeditionary Forces divisions or perhaps the deciding Royal Air Force squadron during the Battle of Britain. Many times rhetoric succeeds in only dividing but in this case it united a people and permitted a nation to not only survive but endure