Masaryk university faculty of education
Download 0.63 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- 37.Truman versus Nixon
36. Wilson versus RooseveltBoth Wilson and Roosevelt were facing a direct attack on American soil or property, in Wilson’s case, the sinking of three U.S. ships and in Roosevelt’s case the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Both consequently asked Congress to declare war on a concrete enemy, in Wilson’s case on Germany and in Roosevelt’s case on Japan. The obvious difference is the length of the speeches, with Wilson using over 2,000 words and Roosevelt only 500 words, “perhaps because the precedent had been worked out in World War I, the issue of what a declaration of war enables the president to do was not at stake in Roosevelt's case.” (Benjamin, p. 82) In other words, while “Wilson, for example, spent over half of his speech detailing the events that lead up to the war. Roosevelt was more succinct,” as he was able to let the events of December 7, 1941 speak for themselves. (p. 77) As for differences in topicalization, Wilson focused on we are good the most, while Roosevelt described mainly the issue and its impact, while leaving out completely the future and steps that failed, suggesting he refused any blame for the attack. Chart 9.3 Certainty and confidence can also be found when looking at Roosevelt’s deictic pointers in chart 9.31, where he is confidently facing the crisis within his time and place. It is less so for Wilson, who appears to be more careful, perhaps also because the actual war was taking place in Europe. Chart 9.31
As for vocabulary choices, these are also very different in terms of decisiveness and directness. Compare the solemn and tragical adjectives of Wilson’s feelings with the confidence and determination of Roosevelt. While Roosevelt asks the Congress to declare a war, Wilson advises the Congress to declare the course of Germany’s actions to be nothing less than war, proving further his hesitance and wary composure with words like obedience and duty.
Though the United States was attacked in both cases, the final choices pertaining to vocabulary, topics and the declaration itself are vastly different, suggesting the importance of historical precedent and the overall political and social support of the audience. 37.Truman versus NixonBoth conflicts took place away from the American soil in Southeast Asia, in Korea the case of Truman, in Vietnam the case of Nixon. Both conflicts occurred during the Cold War era, facing a common enemy, communist infiltration. American troops had already been involved in both conflicts, and both presidents communicated to the audience the reasons for further involvement. Though Nixon’s conflict was called the Vietnam War while Truman’s conflict was always referred to as a police action, both eventually gained the momentum of war. Indeed, these similar conflicts yielded quite similar results, portrayed in chart 9.4, in terms of the distribution importance of each topic. Seven out of nine categories scored the same or very similar (less than 5% difference) results, indicating similar approaches. They differ in steps that failed. Completely ignored by Truman, they were used heavily by Nixon, who profited from the failures of the two previous Democratic presidents, blaming them for how things turned out in Vietnam. Chart 9.4 Similarities also occur in chart 9.41, on Truman’s and Nixon’s deictic pointers, which are virtually the same, placing all actions within their time and place. This is because both presidents had to gain the approval of the American public for further costs and casualties, which was not an easy task, particularly for Nixon. Chart 9.41
As for vocabulary choices, both speakers refer to the enemy in terms of communist aggression. The following example notes further similarities, even in the beginning of the speech, as in syntax. The length of the speeches is also comparable, Nixon used over 4,000 words and Truman over 3,000 and they both include different discourses in their speeches, reading extensively letters or reports from other speakers.
Though Truman’s style is more colloquial and simplistic, it is uncanny just how similar these speeches are, also considering Truman was a Democrat and Nixon a Republican. That said, the speeches were only nineteen years apart, facing the same enemy under similar circumstances, which has proven to trump their party affiliation. Download 0.63 Mb. Share with your friends:
|