Rhetorical Analysis Of Fdr's First Inaugural Address

The most severe depression ever encountered by the Western industrialized world began in 1929 and had reached its nadir in 1933. The unemployment rate was at about 24.9%, with around 13 million Americans not being able to find work, predominantly through no fault of their own. The United States Gross Domestic Product was at its lowest point. Thousands of banks had closed their doors while banks offered no guarantees on the money that they were supposed to be accountable for. The Great Depression negatively affected the entire world; in only 3 short years from the start of the depression, the World Wide GDP had fallen 15%. Beyond the shattered economy, the Great Depression had depleted the morale of a once triumphant nation.
America has always prevailed through the most difficult of circumstances. Albeit not through luck or chance, but facilitated through the leadership of those who have clear goals, a plan to meet these goals, and the determination to see them through. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his First Inaugural Address to the American people,
It is also significant to note that he does not do so until halfway through the speech, after he had already appealed established credibility and attempted put things in perspective for the glum nation. He explains his goals effectively by using anaphora to state that the betterment of the economy “can be helped by preventing...can be helped by insistence...can be helped by the unifying.” The repetition of “can be helped by” gives significance to the abundance of potential solutions Roosevelt already has and says so swiftly without sacrificing its importance. Roosevelt makes it clear to the audience that, not only was he aware the Great Depression was far more complex than just a single fix, he also has an extensive list of places to start in