Genre
Political speech
Setting and Context
America, Chicago, April 10th, 1899
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narration, the narrator is president Theodore Roosevelt
Tone and Mood
An optimistic tone of greatness and highness prevails.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the story is America, which is highlighted as the greatest country in the world; the antagonist it embodied with laziness and careless attitude to the problems of other countries
Major Conflict
The major conflict can be located in the contradiction between the representatives of “American characters” and those who are not like that.
Climax
The climax happens when Roosevelt says that the war in Spain showed that the army and navy in America have to be reorganized.
Foreshadowing
N/A
Understatement
In the speech, the importance of national independence is understated.
Allusions
The address alludes to historical events during the period of Civil war, war in Spain and conflicts in other countries.
Imagery
View the Imagery Section
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
The account has parallels with the realities of the American society and its imperialistic ambitions.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The author uses metonymy and synecdoche to reinforce the importance of the utterance in its social context: “Contraband of war”, “next to weakness comes lack of consideration.”
Personification
The author uses personification for enforcing his point: “slothful ease and ignoble peace.”
