Winston Churchill: Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat
Analysing a political speech
This speech was given by Winston Churchill on his first entrance into the House of Commons as Britain’s new Prime Minister, with the presence of the outgoing prime minister, Chamberlain. The speech came on May 13, 1940 at the beginning of the World War II. At this point in time, the fate of Great Britain was quite uncertain, since Germany had a strong army. The speech is a call-to-arms speech. Churchill is therefore suggesting that Great Britain should wage war against Germany. This is Churchill’s first ever speech in the House of Commons as he had just been appointed the Prime Minister of Great Britain.
The intended audience was all the members of the House of Commons. Therefore, the speech had to be formal. It also had to be respectful, because when speaking in the House of Commons, the speaker had to address the main speaker of the house, and his majesty himself. However, this speech was later broadcasted/ shared with the people of Great Britain.
As a call-to arms speech, Churchill claims there is no other alternative but to fight against the Germans, and the speech employs a number of persuasive devices to persuade the audience to share his opinion.
Pathos/Intensity
The language is full of intensifiers, including superlatives (greatest, best, most, fastest), comparatives, and exaggeration. The superlatives decide the tone of the speech, making Churchill appear bolder, and the situation more serious.
- Find examples of intensifiers.
Ethos/Charisma
Persuaders can be effective simply by appearing firm, bold, strong, and confident. This is particularly true in political and advocacy messages. People often follow charismatic leaders even when they disagree with their position on issues that affect them.
- Find examples of how Churchill presents himself as a firm, bold and strong leader.
Rhetorical questions
These are questions designed to get us to agree with the speaker. They are set up so that the “correct” answer is obvious. Rhetorical questions are used to build trust and alignment.
- Find examples of rhetorical questions posed in the speech.
Simple Solution
The political situation at that time was complicated. Germany looked invincible. There were not many solutions to avoiding the clash between Germany and Britain, which created anxiety for people of Great Britain. Churchill offers relief by ignoring complexity and proposing a simple solution – War. His speech was straight to the point, and refused to deal with/ mention any flip sides of the solution he was proposing.
- Find examples of overly simplistic solutions suggested in the speech.
Themes for discussion
This speech is remembered favourably. Would the speech have been remembered any differently had Great Britain lost the war?
- Listen to the speech, for instance in the following link.
- How does Churchill’s reading of the speech affect its power of persuasion?
