On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Empire bombed the American military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in a surprise attack. This ambush reminded the United States that it could no longer be a bystander to war and engaged it in direct conflict during World War II. The day after the attack, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke before a joint session of Congress, calling for a declaration of war against Japan. During his infamous speech, he used diction, literary devices, and his simple text organization to urge Congress to formally declare war on Japan and mobilize the American population to support the war effort, thus establishing a sense of urgency and strengthening the nation in the face of grave danger. Every word of his important speech played on the emotions of the American people and provided considerable support for his purpose. Roosevelt began his persuasion with emotionally charged word choice to trigger polarizing emotional appeals. He underlined the deception of the attack through numerous repetitions of the words "deliberately" and "premeditated." Furthermore, his use of the words "hostility," "cowardly," and "infamy" demonizes the Japanese people and attracts the attention of his intended audience, both Congress and all American citizens. His mention of American casualties and US Navy infrastructure during the Pearl Harbor attack united the nation under an ideology of patriotism and highlighted the urgency of the grave situation. Through his effective eloquence, the Americans felt compelled to create a retaliatory plan as soon as possible to stop the threat of a potential Japanese attack on the mainland and the loss of more American lives.More...... middle of paper .... ..edibility as he urged people to maintain their faith during these strenuous situations. Furthermore, he spoke in the first person, using the words “we” and “our”; with this choice of words, all American citizens across the nation felt involved; they felt as if the president was speaking directly to each individual, thus contributing significantly to their inclination to trust his decision to declare war on Japan. As one of the nation's most influential American presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was able to use his rhetorical eloquence to unite America under a common enemy after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: the Japanese Empire. He successfully transformed the population's emotions of fear into hope and strength while emphasizing the urgent need for a declaration of war against Japan and America's direct involvement in World War II.