Intention

Jawaharlal Nehru’s main intentions with the speech “Tryst with Destiny” are to mark the important occasion of India's independence, to prepare the Indian people for the responsibilities of self-government and to encourage national unity and build his own authority as a future Prime Ministe…

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Marking the occasion and preparing the Indian people and government

Delivered the night before India became officially independent from the British Empire, the speaker’s official intention is to mark the occasion: “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history…” (p. 26, ll. 5-7). As the quotation shows, the speaker achieves this intention by using symbolical, metaphorical language and by appeals to ethos.

However, the speaker’s main intention with the speech is to prepare the Indian people…

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Encouraging unity and collaboration and building his authority

To encourage unity and solidarity, the speaker also borrows from the credibility of Mahatma Gandhi who was admired by most Indians: “…generations will remember this message and bear the imprint in their hearts of this great son of India, magnificent in his faith and strength and courage and humility.” (p. 28, ll. 3-5).

To persuade the audience to embrace his vision for independent India, the speaker uses repetition and tricolon to list the measures that need to be taken and to have a more memorable impact:

To bring freedom and…