Franklin D. Roosevelt uses logos, ethos, and pathos equally throughout his “Great Arsenal of Democracy” speech on December 29, 1940.

Throughout the speech, Roosevelt utilizes different quotes from axis power leaders to accurately convince people that the axis is more than wrong, it is terrible an evil. He uses common sense to convince people that the U.S.’s role in World War II is minimal for now and can only reap positive benefits if the citizens do their best to help Great Britain. Roosevelt demonstrates that if the U.S. does not help Great Britain, we will be doomed to fall to the axis powers.

FDR has a ton of evidence supporting his good intentions regarding the well being of the U.S. and its citizens. The people already have a lot of trust in FDR for things that he has already done. He has already proved himself by immensely improving many peoples’ quality of life after the stock market crash in 1933 and the subsequent Great Depression. Though his audience already knows these facts, FDR spends the first portion of his speech making sure that his good intentions are in the front of everyone’s mind before he continues to make his “risky” points. He states that he will use the same approach to help the U.S. in this current “crisis” of WWII, as he did in the 1933 crisis. It is also implied that FDR has good intentions for Americans because he is the president, and therefore has a clear stake in the situation; his reputation relies on his decision about WWII.

With the gravity of the current “crisis,” it is easy for FDR to reach out the peoples’ emotions. He uses particularly harsh and effective words such as “Nazi masters,” “aggressor nations,” “dominate,” “enslave,” “crush,” and “corrupt” to arouse a feeling of fear. He later channels this fear towards motivation and desire to establish peace. To do this, FDR uses inspirational phrases like “splendid cooperation between the government and industry and labor,” nothing “shall delay the immediate expansion of those industries essential to defense,” “we have the men, the skill, the wealth, and above all, the will” to accomplish our military goals, “we will devote ourselves to the same whole-hearted extent to the great task that lies ahead,” “we must be the great arsenal of democracy,” and “democratic faith.”