Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation

Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation

Summary: This speech was delivered the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed. FDR explains that the bombing was unprovoked and the Japanese showed no hostility before hand. He goes on to say that the Japanese bombed other nations that same night, and bombed other U.S. ships in the pacific ocean that were not at Pearl Harbor. He then explains how he wants to defend the country however he can, and he wants to declare war on Japan.

Move 1 - Suspend Judgment: Even though the Japanese bombed the United States unprovoked and with out warning, FDR does not seem to judge them at all. He just explains the facts of what happened, and explains that the attack was deliberate during a time of peace. He explains that what happened was unprovoked and dastardly, but says nothing bad about the Japanese Empire.

Move 2 - Define Significant Parts & How They are Related: He explains how other countries have been bombed that same night, and how other American ships were torpedoed the same night as well. He explains this because it is important to know that the Japanese did this on purpose, and it was a planned attack and not just a spur of the moment thing.

Move 3 - Make the Implicit Explicit: He says that the U.S. needs to protect itself, and make sure that this never happens again. He doe not flat out say that they are going to attack Japan, but it is implied that they are going to launch an offensive to show Japan and the rest of the world that he will not tolerate something like this happening again.

Move 4 - Look for Patterns: He uses repetition to explain that Japan bombed other countries the same night they bombed Pearl Harbor. Repeats, 'Last night Japanese forces attack...' to explain how hostile Japan was at the moment. It helped explain why the U.S. needs to take action ASAP. He also repeats that the Japanese seemed peaceful up until the bombings.

Move 5 - Keep Formulating Questions and Explanations:
What was Japan trying to do when they bombed Pearl Harbor?
What is going to happen between the U.S. and Japan?
How is the U.S. going to attack Japan?
Can this happen again today?