In the excerpt from the "Speech to House of Commons of the British Parliament, 4 June 1940," Churchill laments the death of the brave British soldiers who lost their lives fighting for their country. As the speech progresses, he talks about Hitler’s “plans for invading the British Isles.” Churchill motivates the British people by reminding them of Great Britain’s comradeship with its allies in the war. He stresses his idea of not giving up:
We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be….
In the 1941 war speech from the video, Churchill talks about the horrors committed by Hitler:
What tragedies, what horrors, what crimes has Hitler and all that Hitler stands for brought upon Europe and the world!
He strongly declares that all destruction caused by the Nazis is “being repaid and presently they will be more than repaid.” Next, he describes the “misery of the conquered people” and how they are “oppressed in the interest of a fanatic paganism devised to perpetuate the worship and sustain the tyranny of one abominable creature [Hitler].”
In both speeches, Churchill talks about the devastation brought by Hitler and its terrible effect on people around the world. The themes of the speeches are the same. He motivates and arouses the audience to not give up easily and to fight Hitler until his vile dictatorship is brought to an end.
Churchill uses parallelism in both speeches for its rhetorical effect:
But one thing is certain, one thing is sure, one thing stands out stark and undeniable…
(from the video speech)
We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the end. … we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender…
(from "Speech to House of Commons of the British Parliament, 4 June 1940")
Also, Churchill’s tone in both speeches is similar. He uses a motivating tone to keep the fire of retaliation burning among the people of his nation. (PLATO)
