Rhetorical Analysis Of William Faulkner's Speech

William Faulkner won the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature, for his acceptance speech he wanted to use his fame and the platform the award gave him to convey a to young writers listening with the same aspirations that was much needed in that time of 1949 during the threat of a nuclear war. This speech seems to take the form of a personal letter to young writers with historical context for clarification and to connect with them. Is tone is concerned and serious but caring and hopeful towards the end. He speaks on the urgent topics of that day that is on everyone's mind and offers his own perspective of it and how it is affecting the people of our world. The author is rhetorically effective even to this day. Even though i am not the immediate audience
His speech was very focused on a specific audience, which were young writers of all kind aiming for wide recognition. Faulkner wanted to remind these people that although it is a major threat that is not the only thing there is to focus on. Their writing must remain true to themselves and attach all the elements of the human condition that are starting to be overlooked like “love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice”. The good things these times bring out and people and the traits that have always been there rather than constant doom. Because all these aspects pieced together is what makes for a good piece of writing. Faulkner is reminding them to keep their eyes open and giving them ways to make their work all around grater so the next generation of literature will be great and memorable as the ones before these relatively dark
Just about ten years before, the United States was coming out the the Great Depression and just a few years later the World returned to war. In 1941 just three years after the Great Depression Pearl Harbor was attacked and we officially went to war. Writing got grimm and was focused around the tragic events facing the world. In 1945, the war ended but nuclear weapons had now been introduced to international warfare which set a whole new tone for the world because, devastating power of three had been witnessed around the world and now many nations were creating them, prepared for a full on nuclear war that could destroy everything at any moment. These were completely new circumstances and created a new field of constant fear among the Millions of citizens whose fate was out of their own hands. Because of these conditions, literature understandably took a turn with this threat always lurking in every aspect of