We Shall Fight on the Beaches Summary

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A Rhetorical Analysis of Churchill's We Shall Fight on the Beaches
In June 1940, Winston Churchill immortalized the events during World War II, in his speech entitled, “We Shall Fight on the Beaches,” where many people, including soldiers and civilians, have died. In his speech, he inspired the citizens by expressing their achievements and warned them of the possible outcome that might happen after WWII. Churchill enticed his audience by showing his genuine perspectives and by appealing to ethics, logic, and emotion. Moreover, the speech was meant to raise the morale of British citizens through continuous praises and encouragement. In line with these factors, this paper will analyze the methods of encouragement used by Churchill by analyzing the rhetorical devices written in the piece.
At the beginning of his speech, Churchill stated various facts on what happened and what is happening in their country during the war. This was done to make Churchill more reliable and trustworthy to the eyes of his oppressed citizens. One of the examples that appealed to the citizens’ logos or logic is when he said that,”…from the moment that the French defences at Sedan and on the Meuse were broken at the second week of May, only a rapid retreat to Amies and the south could have saved the British and French armies who had entered Belgium at the appeal of the Belgian King (Churchill).” Not only did he gain the people’s trust, but by stating facts, he gradually gained his approval from his audience. Additionally, Churchill also made sure to provide his listeners something that they can relate to such as past events, which are also facts, that the audience already knew about.
To raise the morale of the people, Churchill made sure to regain the confidence of the people by appealing to logic in his statement, “I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangeme...