S16

Video- Saving Private Ryan- Captain Millers speech to his squad

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 * 1) **What is the purpose of the speech? Provide brief statement of context.** Saving Private Ryan is about saving a private in WWII whose two brothers were killed. He was the only sibling remaining and the President ordered Tom Hanks Squad of soldiers to rescue and return Ryan home. The soldiers had been arguing because they didn’t understand why this private was so special. The squad had already lost two men trying to find Ryan and didn’t think Ryan was worth the lives lost. Tom Hanks (Captain Miller) gave this speech to calm the soldiers down and help them refocus on why they are doing this mission.
 * 2) **Who is the audience?** The audience of the speech is Captain Miller’s squad. They are the ones that were sent to rescue Private Ryan.
 * 3) **Which appeal (ethos, pathos, logos) is most prevalent? How do you know?** The most prevalent appeal is pathos. It appeals to emotion because Miller is trying to persuade his men to keep fighting to find Private Ryan. He refers to an unanswered question asked prior to the argument. His answer to the question was that he was a teacher. He gives out personal information and how he doesn’t care about Ryan. He also says that the quicker he does this mission, the quicker he can go home. All these are emotions and things that drive Miller to complete his mission, and are what he is trying to get his squad to realize.
 * 4) **Is the argument effective? Were any logical fallacies used?** Captain Miller’s argument is very effective because it refers to the emotion of the sleep deprived and home sick soldiers. It boosts their morale and strengthens their drive to continue on with the mission. The speech changes their outlook on the mission to a more positive approach verses negative. The speech uses a hasty generalization because he assumes that him and his soldiers all going home safely after this mission or war. He says that he doesn’t know if his wife will recognize him because they have been away so long and because the war has changed him dramatically. And he can only think this if he assumes that he is going home some day in the future.
 * 5) **How could the argument have been strengthened?** The argument could have been strengthened by the speaker appealing more emotionally to the soldiers and speaking to them with more passion. He didn't worry about the safety of his squad, or show that he cared for them as people. He just wanted to finish the mission and get home, because his family was all that mattered to him.