Rhetorical devices

Direct address

In his speech “This is an illegal war”, Arnold Schwarzenegger frequently addresses his audience, which he identifies right at the beginning of his speech: “my Russian friends, and […] the Russian soldiers serving in Ukraine”.

In the introduction of his speech, Schwarzenegger addresses his audience to let them know the importance of what he is about to tell them: “There are things going on in the world that have been kept from you, terrible things that you should know about”. This invites his audience to listen to his message. 

After he briefly talks about his friendship with Yury, Schwarzenegger addresses his audience again: “The reason I’m telling you all of this is that ever since I was 14 years old, I’ve had nothing but affection and respect for the people of Russia. […] That is why I hope that you will let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine”. This helps Schwarzenegger to bring his audience’s attention back to his main message. 

At times, Schwarzenegger addresses the audience in order to confirm that he understands how they feel and the position they are in, such as when he says “I know that your government has told you this is a war to de-Nazify Ukraine” or “We know that you have suffered the consequences of your courage. […] You are my new heroes”. Then, he continues to address Russians as he explains what the reality is: “You’re also not being told the truth about the consequences of this war fo...