Everyone knows who Winston Churchill is, and most of you have probably heard of some of his speeches. Can I get a show of hands of who has heard of either one of these speeches; "Iron Curtain" and "Finest Hour"? Ok, now can I get a show of hands of who has heard of his, "Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat" speech? Thank you, but what you may not realize is, if he didn't act as quickly as what he did when he became Prime Minister and by giving this speech only three days after being sworn in, he may not have ever given the other speeches because England may have fallen to Nazi Germany.
B. Overview:.
1. Churchill gave this speech only three days after being sworn in as Prime Minister. He chooses his Cabinet Members in the days prior to the speech.
2. Nazi Germany is conquering all of Europe. England was receiving messages of disaster from Holland, Belgium, and France (Broad, 1963, 41). The Dutch Army had laid down it's arms and the Germans had reached the Channel ports by the time Churchill had met with all of his Cabinet members for the first time (Broad, 1963, 41).
3. Churchill thought it a necessity to unite as a country and to fight for victory. He was including both parties, both of who supported the late Government and also the parties of Opposition (Cannadine, 1989, 148).
C. Review of Main Points:.
1. Churchill's speech was directed at the House of Commons, his newly appointed, and soon to be appointed Cabinet Members. The speech was both deliberative and ceremonial. Churchill wanted the House's approval of the new government and cooperation in the war against Nazi Germany. His ethos at the time was of mixed opinion. He was the First Lord of the Admiralty in 1914 and was appointed it again in September 1939, but replaced Chamberlain as Prime Minister after he resigned (Cannadine,1989, 147). He was a determined man who was not going to accept anything better than Victory. In Churchill's speech, he makes use of repetition in more ways than one, and also asks questions and then answers them, which can be very effective when trying to persuade someone.
