Question

Read the excerpt from President Woodrow Wilson’s speech, “War Message to Congress.”

On the 3d of February last I officially laid before you the extraordinary announcement of the Imperial German Government that on and after the 1st day of February it was its purpose to put aside all restraints of law or of humanity and use its submarines to sink every vessel that sought to approach either the ports of Great Britain and Ireland or the western coasts of Europe or any of the ports controlled by the enemies of Germany within the Mediterranean.

To appeal to the audience, this part of the speech mostly relies on

A. ethos, an appeal based on the speaker’s character.
B. logos, an appeal based on logic or reason.
C. pathos, an appeal based on emotion.
D. force, an appeal based on the audience’s fear of harm.

Answer 1

The correct answer is B

Answer 2

The correct answer is b)logos, an appeal based on logic or reason.

Wilson's "War Message to Congress" was one he gave to Congress right before the United States during World War I. In this message, Wilson is justifying why he wanted Congress to declare war on Germany. To do this, Wilson discusses how he discovered that Germany planned on using unrestricted submarine warfare on any ship in the Mediterranean. This would include American merchant ships who were technically neutral in the war at this time.

All of the information mentioned is based on facts and logic. He is not using persuasive language or words that would draw an emotional response. Rather, he is describing the facts of the situation at hand.