The speech given by the US senator Robert Byrd on March 19, 2003, was addressed towards all Americans, in search of support and truth. The purpose was to convince the people of the United States that the war in Iraq is a mistake and should not be proceeded with. He wanted to show how US intrudes into the lives of other people by waging wars on their country. Senator Byrd brought forward an argument that the United States was always seen as a democratic country, respecting the views of the people in the world and its allies but now the war is started by choice, there is no real evidence in support of the reasons for it and that in the present time United States “demand obedience or threaten recrimination, instead of reasoning”, with other countries and governments.
Senator uses Ethos method to appeal to the people. As he is the senator of the United States he is very closely involved in everything that goes on in the country politically, as well as having knowledge about the other countries in the world. It is his direct duty to be well informed and examine the issues that might influence the reputation of America. He is very much appealing to people’s understanding, ethics and kindness in resolving this matter. Robert Byrd is directly interested in finding a mutually beneficial solution, as he is a member of the governing body of the world’s superpower and anything that United States’ government decides to do worldwide, will influence him personally. He also uses the method of pathos directing his speech to the emotionality of the people. He says how proud he is of his country, its constitution and people but today is saddened by the fact that a wrong decision is being made and that people must use their kindness and reason to think clearly.
He mentioned the opposing side by saying how America is disregarding the view of UN. That the US government is looking for immediate retaliation to the 9/11 attacks and because of the inability to strike at the Al-Qaeda terrorists who are scattered all over the world, it has chosen to direct its anger towards a visible enemy, which is easy to detect. He states that America’s power “lies not in its will to intimidate, but in its ability to inspire”. The fact that United States has enormous military strength does not mean that it must be used. And he is very distraught by the fact that while the soldiers, American citizens are fighting in Iraq, the administration is not doing its part by debating the issue and coming up with a tangible solution.
Robert Byrd uses Toulmin method in his argumentation. He first presents the audience with a claim that US is going to war for the wrong reasons, without any evidence and that it will cause more harm than good in the future of the country, relative to the world. His grounds pertain to the fact that there is a falsification of documents, that the international organizations have not been consulted, US is acting on their own behalf and that there is no evidence that Saddam Hussein has any relation to 9/11. He precisely states the grounds and reasons why US should not go to war and that it is a mistake by the administration in how it is directing its anger towards “the wrong villain.”
References
Byrd, Robert. “Today I Weep for My Country.” Information Clearing House. n.d. Web. 2012.