Inclusive language establishes a link between the unknown solider and Australia; accomplished by binary opposites “from the city or the bush” encompassing all the possibilities of who the Unknown Soldier was, blurring any distinction between male, female, civilian and soldiers. The use of collective nouns “we … us … our” creates connectedness within all people of his audience, sharing the same grieving process encompassed by war.
The “horrors of war” is bluntly affirmed by Keating through accumulation “mad, brutal, awful struggle”. This concedes accountability at the hands of previous Australian government, whereas his honesty creates an affable image, adding to his persona. His emotional response and rhetoric pace captivates the respondents through change in tone; the assertive and condemnatory tone that is interchangeably used encourages respect for the Unknown Soldier.
The absence of deflection maintains the sincere and solemn momentum of the occasion, focusing on the remembrance of past conflict as a lesson for the future. His speech encompasses a didactic statement for the future, “for out of the war came a lesson …” showing his audience that unknown solider has “taught us a lesson”; that ordinary people are not ordinary.
By maintaining his anonymity, the soldier becomes a synecdoche for all demographics and past conflicts, reiterating the inclusiveness of the audience, associating them with the solider in order to discover his true identity. The use of anaphora “we do not know” emphasises the soldiers ambiguity and how little is known about the solider. Keating’s use of statistics reinforces the tragedy and loss of the soldier, amplifying the ultimate sacrifice made by our country, which has been embedded in our history as Australians.
The Essay on Soldier X World War
Plot I read the book Soldier X by Don L. Wulff son that takes place during the world war II period. The main character of the book is a 16 year old German boy named Erik Brandt. Although Erik lives in Germany he is also half Russian and speaks Russian very well. Erik does not want to be a part of Hilters Nazi army during world war II but he is forced to fight on the side of the Nazis. During one ...
Hew Griffiths argues that Keating “ventriloquises” for the audience and the dead, however, despite Keating’s precarious assumptions “his family is lost to us as he was lost to them”, his resolve encapsulates the essence of what it really means to be Australian. Overall, Keating acknowledges both positive and negative ramifications of war “what we have lost … what we have gained”, his uplifting attitude creates emotion within his audience giving them an opportunity to respond and aspire to Australia’s bravery and patriotism through acknowledgement of the past.
Albeit the brevity of his speech, his message remains sincere and credible whilst rhetorical treatment effectively portrays the memorable ideas of Keating’s speech; the influence of historic ideas is significantly heightened by the use of persuasive oratorical techniques, which in turn resonates with listeners due to their reception and understanding of context.
