Rudyard Keating Speech Rhetorical Analysis

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Throughout the speech, Keating addresses the importance of duty and patriotism, by appealing to the Australian psyche of mateship. The contrasts “it was a lesson about normal people – and the lesson was that they were not ordinary” discusses the normality of the people, yet highlights their importance. But focusing the audience’s attention on the values of mateship, “show courage…believe in ourselves, to stick together”, it taps into the audience’s psyche of mateship and effectively masks the brutality of war. He highlights the priority of mateship being “the heart of the Anzac Story”, and such democratic, emotive ideals as “courage and ingenuity in adversity”, “free and independent spirits” serves to further root our sense of patriotism and commemoration. Within this mix, Keating uses inclusive language, and the anaphora of “we” and “or”, together with the continuing references to mateship and the importance of the common man compels, compounds, focuses and strengthens our sense of duty and patriotism to this country, and its connection to the…show more content…
Like Havel, this instils a sense of duty to the common man to continue the “unfinished work” so that “these dead shall not have died in vain”. The final altruistic phrases: “government of the people, by the people, for the people” further imbues a sense of hope “under God”; an uplifting moral stance that penetrated deeply into the hearts of people who listened to Lincoln’s short, succinct but sweet words. This speech is relevant today because we needed to reflect upon the values that great nations were built upon, a divine goal that America hopes to achieve and sets an example for humanity to follow. It was set as a backdrop to King’s “I have a dream” speech, that African Americans once again, would be the victim of

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