Rhetorical Analysis of President Biden's Speech on Russia’s Unprovoked and Unjustified Attack on Ukraine

“President Biden addresses Russia’s ‘brutal attack’ on Ukraine, further sanctions on Russia”

In his speech, President Joe Biden employs juxtaposing and emotive language to enlighten us about the heartbreaking predicament Ukraine is in with Russia and to compare countries throughout the world. Biden's eloquent description of how he sees Putin and the situation exemplifies the current state of affairs. His goal is to bring America and our allies together to defeat Putin's heinous destabilization scheme. His theory is that, as a result of Putin's choice to initiate an unjustified war, the rest of the globe will be stronger than Russia. In his speech, he emphasizes the importance of all of us coming together to aid Ukraine and return us to the previous level of peace.

The usage of emotive words is included into his speech, which aids in the development of an angry and sorrowful tone. This tone evokes empathy in his readers for the people of Ukraine who are going through such a difficult time. The angry tone reveals the breadth of Biden's views toward Putin. He adds on page four of his address, "The next few weeks and months will be painful on the people of Ukraine.” This example of emotive language is creating sympathy (pathos) to make the reader feel sad for the Ukrainians and their situation. He isn't simply concerned with what is happening; he is also concerned with how the people will survive and recover. On page five, Biden declares that “Putin's actions indicate a dark vision for the future of our globe, one where nations grab what they want by force.” He is creating ethos in this line because he is the president and a lot of people will obviously trust his word. This line expresses his feelings regarding Putin, implying that he cannot be trusted, that he is "sinister," and that he is a bully toward Ukraine. These angry and empathetic imagery that he uses as words in his speech effectively express his feelings about the situation and creates ethos. They also assist the reader in grasping the whole scope of what Ukraine is going through, which motivates us to improve the situation and bring justice to Ukraine's suffering citizens, as well as punish Putin.

Biden uses juxtaposition throughout his speech to create a conflicted tone in the writing. This tone aids him in comparing the countries to demonstrate the moral differences we have. He employs it to make Putin's aims plain to all who listen to his address. "America stands up to bullies," he adds on page four of the speech. We are defenders of liberty. "We are who we are." He is creating ethos by asserting himself and the section of the writing implies that we are international heroes who uphold the rule of law and assist other countries in times of need, which isn't always the case. It also introduces the notion that Russia is bullying Ukraine and that we will be the mediators in this issue. Biden asserts on page two that "Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war, and he and his people are now paying the price." This section of text is followed by a list of sanctions imposed on Russia by Biden and his partners. This implies that Putin is currently everyone's enemy, and that the United States and other countries are taking significant measures against him to ensure that he is held accountable for his wasteful, unjustified, and inconceivable ambitions, as well as the attack on Ukraine. This disparity between countries reflects Biden's perspective on the situation. It clarifies that Putin is the bad person in this circumstance, even if it appears that Biden is attempting to rally everyone against him, which is understandable.

This speech made extensive use of literary devices such as juxtaposition and emotive phrasing. He employed them both to deliver his point as well as ideas that added to his overall enlightening argument. Putin is wreaking havoc on the country of Ukraine and on the world's peace. Ukraine may be suffering now, but America and its friends will work to bring this crisis to an end. We will aid the people of Ukraine in their recovery, and we will hold Russia accountable for the president's rash acts that have thrown the world into chaos.