Question

\day of infamy\ speech
president franklin d. roosevelt • 1941
on december 7, 1941 the japanese bombed pearl harbor, a united states naval base in hawaii. this attack drew america into world war ii. franklin d. roosevelt or \fdr\ delivered this speech to a joint session of congress on december 8, 1941, a day after the attack.
as you read, take notes on how fdr describes the actions of the empire of japan.
1 mr. vice president, mr. speaker, members of the senate, and of the house of representatives:
yesterday, december 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the united states of america was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of japan.
the united states was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the pacific.
indeed, one hour after japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the american island of oahu, the japanese ambassador to the united states and his colleague delivered to our secretary of state a formal reply to a recent american
fdr delivers speech by united states government is in the public domain.
assessment questions

1. part a: roosevelt begins paragraphs 8-11 with little variation of the words \last night, japanese forces...\ why is this structure effective in helping roosevelt make his argument?

○ a. it emphasizes the brazenness of japans multiple attacks against the u.s. and its allies.
○ b. it allows the reader to determine which of japans offenses was most destructive.
○ c. it contrasts japans behavior with that of the united states.
○ d. it presents a clear plan of response to the japanese attacks.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Repeating "Last night, Japanese forces..." emphasizes Japan's multiple attacks (like on different locations/allies), showing their boldness. This matches how repetition in rhetoric highlights the extent of aggression.
• Option B: The structure isn't about comparing destructiveness of offenses, so B is wrong.
• Option C: The repetition doesn't contrast Japan and US behavior, so C is wrong.
• Option D: The repeated phrase is about describing attacks, not presenting a response plan, so D is wrong.

Answer:

A. It emphasizes the brazenness of Japan's multiple attacks against the U.S. and its allies.