Introduction
- FDR’s First Inaugural Address
- Civic Artifact = received by a large percent of the population and used to develop “first-impressions” of new President
- Thesis: Amidst the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address articulates powerful examples of strong emotional appeals of confidence and hope, the Kairos of the tense political atmosphere of 1933, and the commonplace that an inaugural address lays out the President’s intentions for the upcoming term.
- Rhetorical Situation/Kairos
- First Inaugural Address (1933)
- By this being an inaugural address, President FDR knows that millions of americans were watching this speech giving him a stage to send his message to a lot of people, especially in his new and respected position as president
- The Inaugural Address is usually one of the first times the President gives a speech and addresses the public without worrying about campaigning
- Great Depression (1929-1933)
- Morale was very down
- Lost jobs
- Blamed on last President (President Hoover)
- Pathos
- Trying to boost confidence, hope, and inspiration
- “in our progress toward a resumption of work we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of the old order”
- Famous quote: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself–nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
- Commonplace of being stronger as a united community
- This address also captures the commonplace that people are stronger when they unite as a community. He uses this claim to push the call to action onto the American people
- President FDR’s speech writer, Raymond Moley, even admitted to writing this speech in a similar way he would write a speech to garner support for a war. This piece of information really helps us piece together that, in a way, the audience was meant to feel like they were soldiers being sent into battle. Their opponent: The Great Depression.
- Language used in the speech specifically (powerful/call to action)
- “This Nation asks for action, and action now”
- Collectively, the American people are being asked by their country for help.
- In doing so, FDR is basically saying that you can either take your patriotic action or be left out of the united community
Conclusion
- Look at FDR’s Second Inaugural Address to see similar commonplaces but see how rhetorical situation really affects the way the speech is written
- Look at how they were received differently by the audience
- Speech reinforces commonplaces (emotional appeal) but to a more than usual extent