INTRO
The speech we are analyzing is the speech called “Tryst with destiny”. He uses a lot of rhetorical devices. The speech talks about a lot of things there could be done to made India a good and successful nation. He talks a lot about the history of India and how they could become free.
SPEAKER/SENDER
The speaker is Jawaharlal Nehru. What he wants is to make his idea into words. The speech is a political one, and he represents it to the public people. The speaker has a lot of credibility and power, so it is easy for him to influence the audience. He wants to build a new India, he wants to inspire and make them a successful nation.
PURPOSE
The purpose with his speech was to persuade and convince, and especially inform the audience. He wanted them to know that they had to do a lot of work, and that they should take the “opportunity” and accept the challenge that they were given.
It reflects a specific purpose, a call to server India and her people with dedication and humility and also in promoting world peace and welfare of mankind.
MESSAGE
The speech is an oral communication, as he speaks to the audience. He has a specific purpose with this speech, he wants to promote world peace and make India a better nation. He uses a lot of different strategies such as;
Logical proofs, India has little to no freedom, and he wants to make India a free country, the talks about how the members should try to make a better nation, and how they can remove poverty.
He also uses emotional proofs; this is where he speaks to the feelings of the people. He appeals to the deep emotions that the members have, and starts the hope in their heart. He brings responsibilities and burdens towards them, and make them think about it.
He also uses ethical proofs; he builds a lot of credibility by taking about Gandhi, and the father nation. He also speaks about the soldiers who has served India and so on.
His speech is devotional to India and its people, everything he said probably made the audience feel happy and proud.
TONE OF THE SPEECH
It is very objective. The speech both includes happy and sad tones. You could guess that when he says word like “celebrate” and “freedom” he speaks with a happy tone. The sad tones could be when he says words like “pain” and “sorrows”. It makes people think about what he says and how he says it.
RHETORICAL DEVICES
Normally speeches are made to convince the audience, political speeches like this one for example. Political speeches are usually very successful because they are target towards a very large crowd and not to a limited audience. The person in this speech used a lot of rhetorical devices to make his speech appealing to the audience, for example;
DIRECT ADDRESS
He directs it towards the members of the assembly.
“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially”
RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
The politician asks questions directly to the public, he then answers the questions. This emphasizes the message he wants to come through.
“Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?”
EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES
The enforce his argument, and make people act.
“May the star never set and that hope never be betrayed!”
PATHOS
With pathos the speaker appeals to people’s feelings, because they use the emotional language.
“Before the birth of freedom we have endured all the pains of labour and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow”
“The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer”
ETHOS
He also uses ethos. He appeals to the nation and members.
“We are citizens of a great country on the verge of bold advance, and we have to live up to that high standard.”
METAPHORS
“the Father of our Nation [Gandhi]”
“the torch of freedom”
PERSONIFICATION
He makes the nation and country a person;
“India will awake to life and freedom”
“when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance”
MY OPIONION
“Tryst with Destiny” was written before the partition of British India. The speaker makes sure to tell people that the future won’t be easy and there will be many challenges, he hopes that through hard work and helping each other they can make a better world.
“THAT FUTURE IS NOT ONE OF EASE OR RESTING BUT OF INCESSANT STRIVING SO THAT WE MAY FULFIL THE PLEDGES WE HAVE SO OFTEN TAKEN AND THE ONE WE SHALL TAKE TODAY.”
He also says that no matter what religion we are all equal children and India. He makes everyone important, and I think that is important thing in these political speeches.
The things about this speech is that he really speaks to the people, he says that even in times where things very illogical and strange, he survived and tried to make sense of the world.
“THEY WERE STRANGE, ILLOGICAL TIMES. I HAD BOARDED UP ALL THE DOORS AND WINDOWS OF MY MIND, SHUTTERED THEM UP. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO THINK STRAIGHT.”
All in all, a really good speech about freedom and standing together as a nation when everything else falls apart.