“We Shall Fight on the Beaches,” an unforgettable speech delivered by a monumental man, epitomized the true character of the British prime minister while portraying the unrelenting spirit of the British people, despite the caustic environment. Winston Churchill’s sheer courageousness led Great Britain through one of the most difficult times in British history, World War II.The discourse he conveyed to the British House of Commons on June 4, 1940, now coined as the “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” speech left the British country in turmoil and prime minister Churchill with an arduous obstacle to overcome. Prior to delivering the speech, the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F) had endured a crucial military defeat in Belgium and France, at the hands of Nazi Germany. In an attempt to and protect their homelands, the British and French military forces were dispatched to Belgium to try and subdue the impeding Nazi forces. However, with the immense pressure placed on Belgium, King Leopold II of Belgium suddenly surrendered to the omnipotent Nazi regime, leaving thousands of allied soldiers abandoned in Dunkirk, France (Turner). With the open ocean serving as the only method of escape, Churchill ordered for the entire British Royal Navy to evacuate these men and return them safely to Britain (Turner). With assistance from the Royal Air Force protecting the ships from German bomber planes, the evacuation of Dunkirk turned out to be a massive success, rescuing approximately 338,000 Allied Soldiers. Although the evacuation was successful, Churchill had to remind the people of England that the overall goal of victory over the Nazi forces had yet to be accomplished. Churchill’s carefully crafted use of imagery, diction and anaphora, is effective in appealing to the nationalistic spirit of the British people while expressing his absolute determination that the British will be victorious with the combined support from both the British military and most importantly, the people of England.
Through his deliberate use of imagery, Churchill is immediately able to connect his audience with the hardships the British forces are exposed to on the front lines. By describing the standards the Allied fighters experienced while stranded in Dunkirk, Churchill is able to make his audience feel entranced by the mere thought of being in the position of the soldiers. He specifies the massive obstacle the British Royal Navy must overcome in order to successfully complete the evacuation: “They [The Royal Navy] had to operate upon the difficult coast, often in adverse weather, under an almost ceaseless hail of bombs and an increasing concentration of artillery fire. Nor were the seas, as I have said, themselves free from mines and torpedoes. It was in conditions such as these that our men carried on, with little or no rest, for days and nights on end, making trip after trip across the dangerous waters, bringing with them always men whom they had rescued. The numbers they have brought back are the measure of their devotion and their courage” (Churchill, We Shall Fight on the Beaches). Parallel to his “Iron Curtain” speech, where he paints a picture of the wartime conditions and ultimately create unity amongst the audience; “We[American families] all know the frightful disturbances in which the ordinary family is plunged when the curse of war swoops down upon the bread-winner and those for whom he works and contrives” (Churchill, The Sinews of Peace). Churchill’s illustration of the evacuation sets the stage at Dunkirk for his audience, giving them the chance to sense the trepidation of the several thousand soldiers who were stranded. At any rate, Churchill was even able to appeal to the broader audience of soldiers by commending their work and praising their endless and courageous devotion to support their brothers. By establishing this bond between the people of England and the soldiers, he is underlying the central idea of the audience supporting the soldiers fighting and to give whatever they can to support those who they now feel immediately connected to. The emphasis on imagery within the speech proves to be extremely effective as it highlights Churchill’s claim that the Allied forces will only succeed and come out victorious if it has the support and driving force of the entire nation rallying behind them.
Churchill’s word usage is no coincidence. While addressing the retreat of Dunkirk, he cautions in regard to the notion of success. Churchill brings awareness to the impression that although the retreat was a success, the state of Britain remains entangled in a time of war. A delicate emphasis is placed on the importance of this success as a means of instilling pride into the people of Britain, motivating a sense of success for future endeavors, while simultaneously remaining humble. Underscoring the cost of this success, which took the lives of over 30,000 men, was specifically placed in the speech to remind the House of Commons, and the people of Britain alike, that all successes are accompanied by inevitable downfalls.
The tone set in the speech, that of valor and pride, implicitly personifies Churchill’s underlying meaning of the speech. Churchill pleas to the audiences nationalistic roots in remaining true to the state of Britain through all the adversaries that may lie ahead. Specifically, Churchill uses a patriotic tone in addressing the work of the Royal Air Force. He attributes the successful rescue of the soldiers in Dunkirk to the Royal Air Force’s protection of the sky. He even draws a comparison between the Royal Air Force and the Knights of the Round Table and Crusades, glorifying the role of the Air Forces to be analogous to the heroic efforts pursued by the Knights. This analogy further reflects Churchill’s patriotic forefront as the driving force behind his speech. By instilling this sense of pride and heroism to the people of Britain, he furthers his pursuit of tackling future endeavors through a united front with a common goal of eliminating the Nazi threat and securing Britain’s survival.
Churchill’s delivery and tone changes approaching the end as he amplifies the magnitude of his speech to ensure that his message is undoubtedly stated. He strictly emphasizes the drive that the people of Britain must gather to defend themselves and the entire world from the invading Nazi power. Churchill is trying to instill into the minds of his audience that their great country will never relent in their struggle. Churchill does this by reassuring his audience and supplying them with hope concluding with “I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outline the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone” (Churchill, We Shall Fight on the Beaches).
Perhaps the most important literary technique infused by Churchill in his speech was his profound use of repetition. The most influential statement within the discourse arose because of it’s successful use of repetition in which Churchill was able to culminate the entire message of the speech into one terse sentence: “We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, 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 the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender” (Churchill, We Shall Fight on the Beaches). Churchill’s use of repetition reinforces to his audience that despite the dark conditions of the war, the people of England will never back down from the Nazi regime. Furthermore, his elaborate use of “We” hints that success and victory in the war will only be achievable if the entire population acts as a single driving force.
Churchill’s rhetoric is best illustrated through its pervasive and carefully crafted use of imagery, diction, and anaphora. The ever prevalent appeal to nationalism and patriotism embodies the purpose of the speech: that of instilling a sense of pride and heroism to the people of Britain. By appealing to emotions as well as the humble successes of Britain thus far, Churchill is calling for the fate of Britain’s survival to lie in the hands of the people who heroically risk their lives and stand by Britain against the virulent Nazi front. In the darkest of times, Churchill embeds a sense of pride to the people of Britain, at a time when they needed it the most. By building morale above all odds, Churchill’s “We Shall fight on the beaches,” successfully enables the people of Britain to regard their past victories as successes, their current state as temporary, and their future endeavors as guaranteed triumphs.