Funeral Service of the Unknown Soldier: Paul Keating
Context:
* 11th of November 1991 on Remembrance Day in memory of all those who died or suffered in al wars and armed conflict * Speech coincided with the 75th anniversary of the 1918 armistice that ended WW1 * In commemoration of this historic event the remains of an unknown soldier from the Western Front were returned to the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial and a funeral ceremony was held * Funeral ceremony was to be officially recognized as a poignant and powerful symbol of all Australians who died in war * PM for 2 years
Summary:
* “Unknown Soldier” stands as a symbol of faith in peace, sacrifice, democracy and what it means to be Australian. * Freedom and spirit of democracy * Keating doesn’t look to glorify war, but rather give thanks for the actions these Australian soldiers who gallantly fought to protect out lands and way of life * Calls us to celebrate the qualities of the Unknown Soldier and learn to “endure hardship…and to stick together”
Themes:
* Honour and Resemblance * Unknown Soldier is representative of all Australians who have served and died in past conflicts and possible future conflicts * Keating calls all Australians to always remember and give thanks to the selfless sacrifice of those who have served in war
* Patriotism * Generated pride in the audience * New Australian spirit gravitated around the core values of mate ship, courage, resilience, and the need to stick together
* War and Peace * Honours sacrifice yet doesn’t condone war, he prefers to emphasise the brutal realities of war being a “waste of human life” cause by “political incompetence”
Techniques
* INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE: “He is one of us” * Creates a link between the speaker, audience and unknown soldier * Realize that we share the qualities of mateship, courage and resilience
* REPETITION: “We don’t know”
References: “In the name of god, the gracious and merciful” * Positions himself as humble, peace-seeking and utterly subject to the will of god * Calls on the common ground of Muslims, Christians and Jews: they all worship God. * REPETITION: “peace” * REPETITION: “Happy present and happy future” * Intended to draw the audience to the idea of uniting