Analysis

Our analysis of “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat” by Winston Churchill is inspired by the rhetorical pentagram model. Below, we will briefly present the main points of our analysis.

In the next few pages, we will look at the topics of the speech and how the speaker explores them. Some of the main topics are warfare, the role of the Government during wartime, and good versus evil.

We will present the speaker – Winston Churchill – looking at his political background and the image he wants to convey, which is that of a determined leader.

We will discuss the audience –  formed by members of the British Parliament – and identify which specific categories of audience the speaker targets.

We will examine the speaker’s language, looking at choice of words, tone, rhetorical devices, and forms of appeal and what they convey about the message Churchill wants to present.

We will look at the circumstances of the speech focusing on the context of the Second World War and Churchill’s appointment as British Prime Minister.

Also, we will consider the speaker’s intention of convincing the audience to approve his war cabinet and his policies, and the means Churchill uses to achieve it.

Read the full analysis of this speech in the following pages!

Further help

Do you want additional help with analysis of speeches? See our guide to speech analysis: