Comparison Essay

Delivering Hope

Both tragedy and war cloud the minds of all who are involved, leaving little room for hope to thrive. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and revolutionary writer Thomas Paine know this all too well. Each man spoke to the nation when it was under attack; Roosevelt when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and Paine during the time of the Revolutionary War. Though the speeches were delivered approximately 200 years apart, the central idea of both was to give hope to their audiences. Both Roosevelt and Paine wanted to win the war they are involved in; however, the President spoke about the actions the United States would take to achieve their goal, and Paine merely spoke from observations and past actions.

President Roosevelt spoke to give hope and confidence to his nation. Roosevelt was the president of the United States when the attacks on Pearl Harbor occurred. He decided that the US army needs to take control of the war and take action immediately. Being the head of army, President Roosevelt spoke about how they would win the war and show Japan that they were not going to put up with these attacks: "With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God." The President was confident that his army is stronger than Japan's and knows how he is going to go about defeating them; he doesn't think for a second that he could possibly loose any battles. Americans, in the President's mind, believe in their nations power; during the entire speech, Roosevelt never doubts his nation. President Roosevelt doesn't just say that they will most likely win, he says that the army "will gain the inevitable triumph," as if Japan does not stand a chance against the United States army. This is the nation's way of showing Japan the consequences of messing with America. Roosevelt's faith in his country is prominent in this speech. It becomes clear that he has no doubt in his country and this strengthens his ability to give the nation some hope.

In opposition to Roosevelt, Paine, though he was also trying to urge the nation to keep their heads high, only stated the previous accomplishments of the militia. He spoke in past tense when giving the speech to Washington's troops: "we were able to set bounds to the progress of the enemy, and, thank God!" (336). Paine was not in a place to make plans to move the army and have them march against the British; he is there purely to bring up the soldiers mood. Washington and his army needed some hope to win the war because it had been going so poorly for the United States. Thomas Paine spoke to support the troops and could only tell them how they were doing and tell them their previous accomplishments. Both speakers meant to restore faith in their country, but only President Roosevelt had the power to take action against the