“THEIR FINEST HOUR” BY WINSTON CHURCHILL AMELIA GILCHRIST

SPEAKER WINSTON CHURCHILL PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM (U.K.) 65 YEARS OLD

OCCASION WINSTON CHURCHILL IS SPEAKING ABOUT THE DEFEAT OF FRANCE BY GERMANY. THE SPEECH WAS GIVEN ON JUNE 18 TH, 1940, AND A TEMPORARY CEASE FIRE WAS MADE ON JUNE 16 TH. THIS CEASE FIRE LEAD TO GERMAN CONTROL OF FRANCE. CHURCHILL GAVE THIS ADDRESS TO SUM UP ALL OF THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES OF HIS TROOPS PARTICIPATION IN THE BATTLE OF FRANCE.

AUDIENCE CHURCHILL ATTEMPTED TO REACH THE CITIZENS OF THE UK, FRENCH AND GERMAN OFFICIALS, AND THE HOUSE OF COMMONS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. SPEECH DIRECTLY GIVEN TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

PURPOSE THE PURPOSE OF THE SPEECH WAS TO CONVINCE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS THAT THE UK’S CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN THE WAR WAS NECESSARY, EVEN THOUGH THE WAR HADN’T DIRECTLY AFFECTED THEM YET. HE SPOKE ABOUT THEIR PLANS TO COME OUT VICTORIOUS IN WORLD WAR II. WANTED TO ROUSE AND INSPIRE THE TROOPS TO BE THE BEST THAT THEY COULD BE WHEN THE GERMANS ATTACKED, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT IS WOULD TAKE TO BE VICTORIOUS.

SUBJECT IN SPEAKING TO THE CITIZEN OF THE UK AND TO THE BRITISH PEOPLE, HE WANTED EVERYONE TO GIVE THEIR “FINEST HOUR” BECAUSE A GERMAN AIR INVASION OF FRANCE SEEMED MORE LIKELY EVERY DAY. HE ALSO SPOKE TO THE MANY CITIZENS THAT HADN’T SERVED YET, SPEAKING OF THE HONOR THAT CAME WITH FIGHTING FOR YOUR COUNTRY. THOSE WHO ALREADY SERVED HE USED AS INSPIRATION. HE KNEW THAT HIS TROOPS WERE OUTNUMBERED, BUT HE WAS VERY CONFIDENT IN HIS TROOPS ABILITIES TO HOLD OFF THE GERMANS, AND EVEN FURTHER, WIN THE WAR, AS LONG AS THE GAVE THEIR “FINEST HOUR.”

RHETORIC ETHOS THE PEOPLE OF GREAT BRITAIN HAD FULL FAITH IN CHURCHILL’S ABILITIES TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE WAR. “LET US THEREFORE BRACE OURSELVES TO OUR DUTIES, AND SO BEAR OURSELVES THAT IF THE BRITISH EMPIRE AND ITS COMMONWEALTH LAST FOR A THOUSAND YEARS, MEN WILL STILL SAY, ‘THIS WAS THEIR FINEST HOUR.’” ALSO, BEGINS HIS SPEECH WITH, “I SPOKE THE OTHER DAY OF A COLOSSAL MILITARY DISASTER.” PATHOS “ THE ENEMY IS CRAFTY AND CUNNING AND FULL OF NOVEL TREACHERIES” SPEAKING OF HITLER, “THERE IS NO DIRTY TRICK HE WILL NOT DO.” “ THIS WAS THEIR FINEST HOUR.” INSTILLS A SENSE OF HONOR IN FIGHTING WITH THE BRITISH ARMY. “UPON THIS BATTLE DEPENDS THE SURVIVAL OF CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION.” MOSTLY AT THE END OF THE SPEECH. LOGOS THE FACT IS THAT ALTHOUGH THE BRITISH HAVE FEWER NUMBERS, THEY ARE BETTER TRAINED AND EQUIPPED FOR THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN. “THE INDIVIDUAL AIRCRAFT AND THE INDIVIDUAL BRITISH PILOT HAVE A SURE AND DEFINITE SUPERIORITY.”

KEY WORDS VICTORY- TO ENSURE THE PEOPLE THAT ““THERE ARE GOOD AND REASONABLE HOPES OF FINAL VICTORY” UNITY- “THE THREE SERVICES UNITEDLY ADVISE THAT WE CARRY ON THE WAR” TYRANNY- WHEN HE STATES THAT HE “DOES NOT DISSOCIATE HIMSELF” WITH PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN THE IDEA OF “BETTER TO DIE THAN TO SUBMIT TO A TYRANNY…”

TONE C HURCHILL SPEAKS WITH DIFFERENT TONES THROUGHOUT THE SPEECH, DEPENDING ON THE SUBJECT. REFLECTIVE, THOUGHTFUL, TONE WHEN SPEAKING ABOUT PAST BATTLES AND EVENTS OF THE WAR. UNWAVERING, AND STRONG TONE IS USED WHEN DISCUSSING THE BRITISH PLAN TO KEEP FIGHTING. TOWARD THE END, HIS TONE SWITCHES TO CONFIDENT AND HOPEFUL, BECAUSE HE IS SPEAKING ABOUT AND TO HIS TROOPS.

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CONCLUSION THIS SPEECH WAS VERY EFFECTIVE IN EMPOWERING THE BRITISH TROOPS AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO GIVE THEIR “FINEST HOUR.” THE GERMANS DID IN FACT ATTACK GREAT BRITAIN, BUT THE BRITISH WERE READY, AND ENDED UP DEFEATING THE GERMANS.