Rhetorical Analysis Of Fdr's First Inaugural Address

The most severe depression ever encountered by the Western industrialized world began in 1929 and had reached its nadir in 1933. The unemployment rate was at about 24.9%, with around 13 million Americans not being able to find work, predominantly through no fault of their own. The United States Gross Domestic Product was at its lowest point. Thousands of banks had closed their doors while banks offered no guarantees on the money that they were supposed to be accountable for. The Great Depression negatively affected the entire world; in only 3 short years from the start of the depression, the World Wide GDP had fallen 15%. Beyond the shattered economy, the Great Depression had depleted the morale of a once triumphant nation.
America has always prevailed through the most difficult of circumstances. Albeit not through luck or chance, but facilitated through the leadership of those who have clear goals, a plan to meet these goals, and the determination to see them through. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his First Inaugural Address to the American people,
in an attempt to prove himself as being a capable leader, even in some of the darkest times in American history. Roosevelt used epistrophes, anaphoras, polyptotons, and associative examples to reassure the demoralized nation that he would be the forefront on the attack of the Great Depression and that he would not falter. (1) Roosevelt made most of his most significant appeals in establishing his credibility in the opening paragraphs of his speech. In the first sentence, he appeals to the ethos of the nation by stating that he “will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation...impels,” and that the situation calls for a “time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly.” The epistrophe is effective in establishing the significance of the truth in dire situations, and Roosevelt is adamant in stating that it is what the American people deserve. This contributes to Roosevelt's integrity by illustrating the respect that he will treat the nation with. He supports this by tying it to the Great Depression and argues that the only way to prevail over it is by being straightforward with the problems at hand. Yet, at the same time also providing the means necessary to conquer these problems. He gives the American people what he expects out of them, and acknowledges that his position requires this to be successful. Franklin Roosevelt appeals to the logos of the American people by establishing the aims of which he will put into place to actively combat the Great Depression.
It is also significant to note that he does not do so until halfway through the speech, after he had already appealed established credibility and attempted put things in perspective for the glum nation. He explains his goals effectively by using anaphora to state that the betterment of the economy “can be helped by preventing...can be helped by insistence...can be helped by the unifying.” The repetition of “can be helped by” gives significance to the abundance of potential solutions Roosevelt already has and says so swiftly without sacrificing its importance. Roosevelt makes it clear to the audience that, not only was he aware the Great Depression was far more complex than just a single fix, he also has an extensive list of places to start in
improving. Perhaps one of the more famous lines from Roosevelt’s speech, and from his inaugural speeches in general, he appeals to the ethos and pathos of the audience through the use of polyptoton in his famous line, “the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” This is so effective because he diminishes the strength of fear to being only a weakness one should seek to avoid. Roosevelt sets the tone of his entire presidency as being only fearful of the day he no longer has the same convictions, not any problems the nation is, or will face in the future. By doing so, not only does he illustrate his rhetorical prowess, but also boldly exhibits the courageous confidence he has in the face of the darkest times of the United States history. He also encourages the American people by stating that the problems at hand will be solved if only we continue to work at them, and only the stagnation of positive work will defeat them. Roosevelt targets the hearts of the American people by providing perspective. He essentially states that there is always good in the bad and that lessons are sometimes better learned the hard way. He states that the “dark days will be worth all they cost [them] if they teach [them] that [their] true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to [themselves] and to [their] fellow men.” This statement was wildly important in such difficult times, associating national social growth with the economic decline of the United States. Saying that the bad times the nation was enduring would only create a healthier, and brighter future is a very powerful statement. Especially so, when seeking to rally the spirits of a nation with little hope for improvement. Ultimately, Franklin Roosevelt was extremely effective in establishing his credibility to the nation he is promising to lead, acknowledging national issues, and providing clear goals. All the while reassuring the nation that things could be worse. Although he had a specific purpose for his speech, many of the ideas set forth still stand true today, and to this day America is reminded that the only thing it need fear is fear itself.