Preview

Interpretive Response: "Arm Yourselves and be men of Valour"

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
609 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Interpretive Response: "Arm Yourselves and be men of Valour"
Winston Churchill unites the British people, and replaces worry with confidence during “a solemn hour in the life of [their] country.” In the middle of the Second World War, his wise words have such a strong effect because Churchill uses strong diction, and sets a tone for his listeners. His calm and collected speech reminds me of an encouraging halftime speech from a poised coach who can prove that when the whole team puts in 100%, it’s not possible for the Allies to earn a loss.
Churchill begins the second paragraph using a noun that unites the British, even himself, and figuratively puts everyone on the battle field. He says “we.” Making this statement shows any reader or listener that he is a strong leader. Any leader admittedly joining the group, willing to work, or willing to fight with their team shows a strong will to win. As the speech goes on, this use of “we” and “our” doesn’t lose steam. Entering the sixth paragraph, this “we” not only unites but is transformed into its purpose – to ignite the responsibility it’s going to take at home as a whole. “We must expect that as soon as stability is reached on the Western Front, the bulk of that hideous apparatus of aggression… will be turned upon us… we are ready to face it, to endure it, and to retaliate against it to any extent...” It is clear that this battle will not be won by sitting idle at home with worry. From home there can’t be a single fan left in the crowd, but a united front on the field. Churchill convinces his audience that together all the “more” that “… we must provide… we must have…” more than attainable.
There is a tone set in the seventh paragraph that turns heads to a more personal matter for the team at home sparking pride. “Our task is not only to win the battle – but to win the war. After this battle France abates its force, there will come the battle for our Island – for all that Britain is, and all that Britain means. That will be the struggle.” Churchill says one of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Throughout President Franklin Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor speech, he uses various devices to appeal to the audience listening. Although, the most effective excerpt from the speech is when President Roosevelt depicts the resilience and determination of the United States to fight back, both figuratively and metaphorically, “With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God” (paragraph 17). By accentuating the unity of the nation with “our” armed forces and “our” people, Mr. President utilizes both pathos and parallelism. Pathos is exerted by the use of the pronouns “our” and “we”, in which Roosevelt includes himself with the rest of the Americans involved…

    • 277 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Fly Away Peter Analysis

    • 2215 Words
    • 9 Pages

    As the object of war became more surreal and Jim had thought about enlisting he uncovered a nervous feeling, “It was as if the ground before him, that has only minutes ago stretched away to a clear future, had suddenly titled in the direction of Europe, in the direction of events, and they were all now on a dangerous slope.” Australia depicted the image of war as a symbol for pride. On the streets there were signs urging men to sign up, “Pictures of the king and queen with crossed flags on either side, one Australian, the other the union jack. And the streets did feel different.” In both texts the pressures of patriotism and pride influence the men’s decision to enlist as a ‘honorable choice’, rather than a forceful act. It shows soldiers have enlisted to ‘serve’ a good cause by defending their country, yet not informing them of the change of mind they may have when they experience the horror of war first hand, and wish to come…

    • 2215 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As we discussed in class, Winston Churchill has made many pivotal decisions that have resulted in failure. In January of 1915, he sent over 100 ships to set sail for one of the largest invasions, but it failed miserably. It resulted in the deaths of 56,000 allied troops and nearly 200,000 were either missing or injured. Churchill was ordered to resign but after a long break he returns to the government, stronger than ever. He never lost his enthusiasm even when he was asked to leave, and because of that he became even more successful. To go along with the historical significance of this quote, there is also an appreciable personal significance. This quote can be applied to anyone's life. It shows how everyone should persevere and never give up. Also that everyone should try their hardest and never lose faith, just as Churchill…

    • 308 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    his speech in order to deliver his purpose to his audience. Winston Churchill was well known for his speeches that he used diction to support his purpose. In this speech “We Shall Fight On The Beaches” Winston Churchill used a lot of war diction in order to support his purpose of writing this speech. Churchill began his speech saying “rapid retreat” to signify the horrible attacks that lead to the soldiers to back away quickly. Following that Churchill said “the destruction of the fine Belgian Army” as in the well-constructed army got destroyed till the last part alive.…

    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1916 witnessed the commencement of the battle of the Somme. Through the course of that one battle, a million British men were slaughtered compared to the combined number of American casualties in both the first and Second World War. The Battle of the Somme was planned as a joint French and British operation, approved by Haig. However, the German attack on Verdun in February 1916 turned the Somme offensive into a large-scale British attack. Haig accepted responsibility for the action and with the help of Rawlinson who devised his own plan of attack. The vital part of Haig's strategy was an eight-day attack to destroy the German defenses. Soldiers were lined up according to battlefield strategies, and led by major officers. The blood of the nations was poured into conditions of such horror and violence. “Lions led by donkeys”, was how the German soldiers referred to their British counterpart. Ever since the end of WW1 in 1918 which was won by the British allies against the Germans it has been hugely debated whether the phrase 'Lions Led by Donkeys' is correct. In this essay I am going to talk about the extent of which the phrase was a fair description of what had happened at the battle of the Somme, by looking at different people’s point of view about General Haig.…

    • 1645 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    To begin with, in paragraphs three thru six there is the use allusion, repetition of ethos, and euphuism to the war, parallelism, and juxtaposition. But, the repletion of ethos is strongly used throughout the entire speech. The use of “we”, “our”, and “us” helps create a very strong ethos because it is repeated many times. This shows that there is an idea of unity and staying together. President Wilson uses this “unity” as a strength point to show that if they work together than they can stay out of the war. His strong diction creates an immensely strong ethos. Wilson uses euphuism for war. He says, “It has been impossible to avoid them.” in this quote “them” represents war. Wilson is conveying that America was going to have to get involved no matter what happened. Without saying “war” he is saying it in a nicer way. The parallelism is shown in “ The currents of our thoughts as well as the currents of our trade run quickly at all seasons back and forth between us and them.” The parallelism in this excerpt shows the connections between Europe and the United States through the exchange of thoughts and materials. Although an ocean away, these two distant territories were linked by constant trade, which helped, support the economies and societies on both sides. Ideas were transferred from one side of the ocean to the other, as…

    • 1552 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    One soldier is very excited about the idea of defending his country; in fact he is so honoured by this chance, that he does not accept a way out of the trenches when he is offered; even though Blackadder realizes their fate when the go above the trenches and tries to explain he will die. “I never imagined anything as awful as war” this also shows the serious nature that war has on its soldiers, this is also shown when another soldier states that he wants the dying to stop, and everyone to go home, because he cannot see a reason for war, this links in Sassoon’s declaration where he states war has gone from one of “defence and liberation” to one of “aggression and conquest”. Even George has to try and push these thoughts out of his mind and replace them with…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nelson Mandela, a past president of South Africa, said, “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” Mandela, an activist who spent twenty-seven years in prison, understood the risks a person has to take in order to become an effective leader. Superior leaders selflessly give up many benefits to help other people. They sacrifice time, money, and even personal health. Risking their lives, military leaders skillfully and courageously lead their soldiers through the thick of the battle. In G.A. Henty’s historical fiction book In Freedom’s Cause, William Wallace, a Scottish military leader, bravely defends Scotland from the hands of the English during the Wars of Independence. Of all the characters in In Freedom’s Cause, William Wallace qualifies as a…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anwar Sadat Essay

    • 385 Words
    • 1 Page

    Great speeches combine rhetorical techniques and structuring to reveal and emphasise their key themes and memorable ideas. This is evident in Anwar Sadat’s “Statement to the Israeli Knesset all of which present ideas memorable in both their original contexts and to contemporary audiences.”, Paul Keating’s “Funeral Service of the Unknown Australian Soldier” and Sir William Deane’s “On the occasion of an ecumenical service for the victims of the canyoning tragedy”,…

    • 385 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Speeches: Rhetoric and War

    • 1333 Words
    • 6 Pages

    It is certainly true that the value of great speeches is that they continue to speak to us. They are admired by responders over many years and have an ability to speak to us, hence stimulating many different responses as time goes by. This value is present in speeches such as “Among us you can dwell no longer” delivered by Cicero in 63 BC in the presence of a Roman Senate, Lincoln’s 186 “Gettysburg Address” orated during the Civil War and Keating’s 1993 “Funeral Service of the Unknown Soldier” given at the Australian War Memorial. Along with universal values of patriotism and loyalty despite difference in time and context, all three speeches are timeless and allow us responders to interpret them according to our context and ways of thinking.…

    • 1333 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In conclusion, Winston Churchill’s “We shall fight on the beaches,” speech, clearly demonstrates Churchill’s great skill for building up morale as through the uses of his techniques, Churchill not only appealed to the listens by manipulating their emotions, he also appeals to his listeners patriotism by glorifying the valiant actions taken by the British Military to recover from the loss and uniting everyone to support the fight against the…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    German's Pride

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages

    With the war ongoing, both sides fought hard. However, as any other fight would have, only one side would prevail. In the end, the triumph of Britain dimmed German’s sight. Reported from a conversation that was written from memory by Gottlieb von…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I also chose this passage because of its complexity and underlying meaning to war in the future. This passage was Brittain’s way of showing how she does not enjoy war. She does not enjoy the destruction of war whether it be physical or emotional. This is Brittain’s sort of “cry for help” for the future generations. She is subtly imploring that the future generations take into account the destruction of war before going into it. I believe that the passage ties the book theme together as a whole. War is destructive and spares…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I am going to look at the use of language the writers use to express their views on war. For the first extract I’ve chosen a very famous piece ‘A Soldiers declaration’ by Siegfried Sassoon written in July 1917, I am comparing this against a letter written home by a junior officer from Flanders in 1916.…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is This England ?

    • 400 Words
    • 2 Pages

    It can be clearly understood that England and her people have experienced a long and painful period. For instance, although the important events of that time are not shown obviously in the film, the director clearly states Margaret Thatcher’s role in glorifying the war so that the viewers can see when the state conducts violent wars abroad, they should not be surprised if violence occurs in the country. For this reason, the film supports the idea that as long as there are state-sponsored wars, there will be the people who are on the side of war.…

    • 400 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays