Exploring the Rhetoric of Persuasion: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Erwin Smith’s War Speech

Abstract

Anime is a Japanese animation style that has gained massive popularity worldwide over the last two decades. Millions of people, especially teenagers, consume anime for entertainment. But what if anime serves more than just entertainment and becomes a reflection of the society portraying the power dynamics and social constructs through the use of diction? This study addresses this very question by analysing Erwin Smith’s War Speech from Attack on Titan Anime. The study is a qualitative in approach as it provides the Textual and critical analysis of Erwin’s speech. The data for the study includes the English version of the war speech transcript attained from season 03 episode 16 of the same series. The data is analysed through using two frameworks: Fairclough’s three Dimensional model and Aristotle’s Modes of Persuasion. The findings reveal that the speech is not mere words rather a depiction of the power imbalance, social constructs and infected ideologies. The findings also reveal that Erwin’s speech is a masterclass in Aristotelian persuasion as its effect is sublime in all three categories: Ethos, Pathos and Logos. The research concludes that not only the speech is a reflection of society and power dynamics, it is also a motivation for the soldiers to overcome fear and find meaning of their lives.