RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

 

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, later in his life known as Mahatma, or “great soul,” was the leader of Indian nationalism.  What was so profound about Gandhi was his philosophy of nonviolent confrontation that led to his impact upon not only his country of India but also the entire world (Hartman and Peck).  On August 8, 1942, Gandhi delivered his “Quit India” speech in a park in present day Mumbai.  This was a crucial time for India, as the independence from Britain they had been fighting for since the early 19th century was climaxing, and tension was quickly rising (Chandra).  Although Gandhi is praised for his successful tactics, few look beyond his message to analyze the rhetoric he used to appeal to the masses, and this is why I have chosen to examine this important speech.  As it was delivered later in his political career, he begins the speech by employing ethos; follows by emphasizing a religious view of pathos; and asserts his voice of reason through logos.  His well-formed syntax infused with rhetorical appeals in August of 1942 paved the way for liberation of hundreds of thousands of minds within his oppressed nation as well as the nation itself.

    Gandhi starts his speech by urging the crowd to have empathy, as he says “I ask you to consider [the resolution] from my point of view” (Gandhi).  He acknowledges that people ask him if “there has been any change” in him.  He follows by stating “I am the same Gandhi as I was in 1920.  I have not changed in any fundamental respect.”  He establishes his trustworthiness, or ethos, at the beginning by reminding the audience that he has been campaigning for independence in his country for several decades.  By the time this speech was delivered, he was already a popular, well-known leader.  He defends his emphasis of nonviolence by saying that its importance to him has grown even stronger throughout the years.  

    He then instills pathos by assuring that “there is nothing but purest Ahimsa” in what he says and does.  Ahimsa is a Hindu doctrine that conveys a belief of total nonviolence towards all living creatures (“Ahimsa”).  This emotional appeal continues, as he claims “God has vouchsafed” to him “a priceless gift in the weapon of Ahimsa.”  Gandhi does not need any physical weapon in order to achieve his goals; rather, his moral principles and religious beliefs allow him to have success.  The idea of the audience’s religion being able to change their country allows the people to realize how great an impact just one individual may have.  He extends this concept of their religion’s instrumental role further, as he says “If… I failed to make use of the God given talent, God will not forgive me and I shall be judged unworthy of the great gift.  I must act now.”  He recognizes his kairos -- this is the most opportune time for him to make a stance given the situation.  He makes it seem as though it his duty to make use of what God has given him.  Because most, if not all, of the audience was comprised of Hindu followers, they are able to understand his words deeply and even feel compelled to use their God given talents as well.

    Gandhi further strives for unity within the crowd, stating “ours is not a drive for power, but purely a non-violent fight for India’s independence.”  His carefulness in his wording is seen by his use of the possessive pronoun “ours.”  Here, not only does he establish group mentality, but he also places ownership among the audience.  They all must fight together for independence; it is everyone’s responsibility.  Pathos is used again through patriotism and love of their country.  Gandhi analogizes that “a non-violent soldier of freedom will covet nothing for himself, he fights only for the freedom of his country.”  Although they are not a traditional, organized army made up of trained soldiers, the people still have the ability to voice what they believe to be right and reasonable.  This leads to Gandhi’s use of logos; the voice of reason and what is legal and fair is established by their Congress.  Gandhi asserts that “the Congress has kept itself meticulously free of the communal taint.  It has thought always in terms of the whole nation and has acted accordingly.”  He is able to claim this because of his copious political work, and it is accepted as truth.  In the last section of the speech he revisits the religious appeals made previously by announcing “I have faith, therefore, that if… the big thing does happen, it will be because God wanted to help us by crowning with success our silent, unremitting Sadhana for the last twenty-two years.”  In Hinduism, Sadhana is the discipline of living correctly and worshipping a god to attain perfection (“Sadhana”).  During the last twenty-two years, Gandhi’s work by maintaining Sadhana as a leader and a man of God has shown the audience his great triumphs.

    In the next section of his speech, Gandhi returns to ethos by explaining how he studied several different revolutions while in prison.  He believes that nonviolence is the most logical pursuit of political freedom for India because of this.  Whereas previous struggles for independence throughout other nations have utilized violence and blood-soaked wars to accomplish their ultimate desires, Gandhi envisions something better.  He tells that “in the democracy which I have envisaged, a democracy established by nonviolence, there will be equal freedom for all.  Everybody will be his own master.”  Nonviolence is clearly the most logical route to paving the way for a harmonious country untouched by cruelty towards other humans, which would go against a Hindu’s fundamental beliefs.  The struggle for democracy, Gandhi argues, can only be enjoyed once the audience can “forget the differences...  and think of [themselves] as Indians only, engaged in the common struggle for independence.”  Gandhi wishes for the crowd to realize the significance of standing beside one another as brethren and not as strangers in a country they love enough in which to fight for independence.  The aspect of unity is all-encompassing in his petition to Indian society; if they do not stand together as a whole, then they will easily fall apart under British rule.

    The following section begins by addressing the audience’s attitude towards the British.  He acknowledges that the British are regarded as abhorring and “that there is hatred towards the British among the people.  The people say they are disgusted with their behaviour.”  With this being recognized, he points out a logical fact that many people of India had not fully conceived -- they are fighting British imperialism, not the British people.  They are not one and the same, but most in the audience up until this time had regarded them as such.  It is easy to hate the British people, too, as the Indian people very well believed that they were the reason for their oppression.  But just as Gandhi did not represent the ideals of the country of India, neither did one British soldier represent the ideals of the country of Great Britain.  The audience needed to be like-minded in thinking in this manner to strive for independence.  Gandhi encouraged like-mindedness more so by personifying his country -- “ The proposal for the withdrawal of British power did not come out of anger.  It came to enable India to play its due part at the present critical juncture.”  He reasons that the British Government cannot further stifle India’s freedom so long as enough self-sacrifice is set forth by everyone.  This is why he tells, “we must, therefore, purge ourselves of hatred.”  It must be a collective effort by the entirety of the masses.  Because his credibility is widely known, by him saying that “I have never felt any hatred.  As a matter of fact, I feel myself to be a greater friend of the British now than ever before,” it encourages people to act as he does in the same manner.  It demonstrates tremendous courage and strength to acknowledge how much he values the religious doctrine of Ahimsa, the same principles he has maintained since the very beginning of the Indian independence movement.  He is even daring enough to point out that the British, too, are “today in distress,” and that because of his friendship, he must “save them from their mistakes.”  His nobility in the matter preserves his dependability as a leading figure for the audience.  Instead of using hatred as a weapon, they must act due to their friendship to have substantial progress.  

At the end of his speech, he again personifies the countries, observing that his words may very well “anger [Great Britain] to the point of cutting off the friendly hand that is stretched out to help them.”  Gandhi understands that some may find his ideas unrealistic: “People may laugh, nevertheless that is my claim.”  However, despite these potential problems, he refuses to sway from his outlook; he remains adamant in the face of adversity.  This is what has guided him throughout his decades of political activism and what has propelled his popularity among the average citizen.  Even though he ends his speech rather abruptly, his final thoughts are quite powerful, as he concludes with “At a time when I may have to launch the biggest struggle of my life, I may not harbor hatred against anybody.”  With this finishing quote, Gandhi displays his enormous self-sacrifice in campaigning for what he truly believes to be right for not just India but the entirety of the Earth.  He stood fast even when he was imprisoned shortly after delivering this speech (Hartman and Peck).

In sum, Gandhi’s relatively short but profound words rocked the endeavoring nation of India into a large series of disorderly and non-violent demonstrations.  This led to the imprisonment of more than 100,000 members of what is now known as the Quit India movement, deriving its name from Gandhi’s speech.  India was freed from Britain’s rule several years later (“Making Britain”).  Through his use of rhetorical strategies, Mahatma Gandhi certainly elevated his status as a prominent leader and “great soul” in not just his home country but within the global community.  His admirable principles of peaceful protest have been drawn upon in countless instances since his lifetime of activism, and there is no doubt in my mind that Gandhi will remain one of the most respected and revered men to exist in our contemporary world.

 

Works Cited

"Ahimsa." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, 2009. Web. Oct. 2014.

Chandra, Bipan. India's Struggle for Independence: 1857-1947. New Dehli: Penguin, 1989. Print.

Gandhi, Mohandas. "Famous Speeches by Mahatma Gandhi." Famous Speeches by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi Research Foundation, n.d. Web. Oct. 2014.

Hartman, Bob, and Rick Peck. "MAHATMA GANDHI." Gandhi. N.p., July 1998. Web. Oct. 2014.

"Making Britain." 1942 Quit India Movement |. The Open University, n.d. Web. Oct. 2014.

"Sadhana." Dictionary.com. Harper Collins Publishers, n.d. Web. Oct. 2014.