[Type text] Darie Bianca Georgiana

1st year of Master, CCB

RETORICA DISCURSULUI POLITIC

 Never Give In is a discourse held by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston
Churchill, in October 29th, 1941, at Harrow School, an institution founded in 1572 under a
Royal Charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I, located in northwest London;
 When Churchill visited Harrow on October 29 to hear the traditional songs he had sung
there as a youth, he discovered that an additional verse had been added to one of them. It
ran:
"Not less we praise in darker days
The leader of our nation,
And Churchill's name shall win acclaim
From each new generation.
For you have power in danger's hour
Our freedom to defend, Sir!
Though long the fight we know that right
Will triumph in the end, Sir!"

ANALYSIS OF THE DISCOURSE:

The Prime Minister delivered several inspiring and supporting speeches during World
War II , however Never give in became one of his most quoted speech. The 40’s was a time
when Great Britain was heading for defeat in the World War II. Nonetheless, events leading
up to the speech gave a hint of optimism for the British people. The United States organized a
system known as Lend-Lease, by which equipment and services were provided for countries
fighting Germany- which anyway changed its target towards the Soviet Union, after invading
Yugoslavia and Greece. Therefore, Winston Churchill felt the need to express his confidence
and to comfort his people by telling them that they will not be defeated and advising them to
keep their faith and ‘never give in’.
The way in which Churchill began his speech is not random: instead of a greeting, he
chose to begin by mentioning the period of time, which passed since they met last time. He
referred to the listeners in his introduction as ‘his friends’ which is a stereotypical appellative
used to reduce the distance between the orator and the audience (1). By using this appellative,
 [Type text] Darie Bianca Georgiana
1st year of Master, CCB

Churchill addressed to the whole audience in order to win its trust and to show that they are
acknowledged as equals, assuring that he does not look down at them.
Further into the body of the speech, there are collateral circumstances that Churchill
used to win the listeners’ benevolence and credibility. Speaking of the School and
remembering with joy his last time there, Churchill showed that this place is special to him.
With this rhetorical device the Prime Minister moved the audience’s feeling of pride, but
considering the context of the World War II this rhetorical device becomes highlighted when
combined with the collateral circumstances of issue: ‘for the very great improvement in the
position of our country and of our home’ (2). The place is used here to awake the identity as a
British person in every citizen and to highlight the seriousness of the issue.
What is very interesting in this speech is the way in which Churchill frequently
mentioned his last time there. He used the collateral circumstances of time to create a constant
comparison between the ‘last year’ and today (3). Doing so, he emphasized the important
changes that took place since their last meeting; he presented the progress of Britain within
the time-span of his two speeches at the School. Speaking of progress, as it has been a year
for the students so it has for Britain. To keep the listener interested, Churchill also used some
rhetorical questions, thus increasing the suspense by delaying the answer: ‘Why, when I was
here last time we were quite alone…’(4).
In terms of collateral circumstances of issues, this speech has mainly complex
sentences, but there are some simple and compound sentences too, known as kernel clauses –
short and easy to follow by the human brain-. In order for the listeners to clearly understand
the message, Churchill had to lower the degree of formality, for the members of the audience
belonged to all social classes; the use of short sentences also means that the issue was very
serious (5). In the same way, the stylistic devices, the pronominal adjectives in the first person
plural (6), the repetitions, all contribute to way in which the speaker seduced the audience.
Even if Britain was in a critical situation, Winston Churchill wanted, by manipulation through
words, to convince the audience that Britain will not be defeated, will not fail.
Another very important rhetoric and stylistic device used by Churchill is the
amplification in argumentation. He dis this mostly with the help of repetition (‘never give in,
never give in, never, never…’) in order to lay the necessary emphasis so the idea will be
remembered (7). Thus, it became the most known sentence from the speech and it became the
actual title of the speech. In the same manner the use of the adjectives in the positive degree
of comparison intensify the meaning, the seriousness of the issue (8).
 [Type text] Darie Bianca Georgiana
1st year of Master, CCB

At the end of the speech, Churchill used the collateral circumstances of persons to
draw not only the attention of the students, but of the teachers and Head Master’s as well (9).
He used the same device in his Taking Leave Statement to invoke God (10). He thanked God,
he references to God as their protector, ensuring thus that he is getting through to the
listeners’ hearts.
 [Type text] Darie Bianca Georgiana
1st year of Master, CCB

 https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/never-give-in-never-never-never.html

THE DISCOURSE:
“(3)Almost a year has passed since I came down (2)here at your Head Master's kind
invitation in order to cheer myself and cheer the hearts of (1) a few of my friends by singing
some of our own songs. (3)The ten months that have passed have seen (8)very terrible
catastrophic events in the world - ups and downs, misfortunes – but (4) can anyone sitting
here this afternoon, this October afternoon, not feel deeply thankful for what has happened
in the time that has passed and for the very great improvement in the position of (2)our
country and of our home? (4)Why, when I was (2)here (3)last time we were quite alone,
(8)desperately alone, and we had been so for five or six months. (5)We were poorly armed.
We are not so poorly armed (3) today; but then we were very poorly armed. (6)We had the
unmeasured menace of the enemy and their air attack still beating upon us, and you
yourselves had had experience of this attack; and I expect you are beginning to feel
impatient that there has been this long lull with nothing particular turning up!
But we must learn to be equally good at what is short and sharp and what is long and
tough. It is generally said that the British are often better at the last. They do not expect to
move from crisis to crisis; they do not always expect that each day will bring up some noble
chance of war; but when they (8)very slowly make up their minds that the thing has to be
done and the job put through and finished, then, even if it takes months - if it takes years -
they do it.
Another lesson I think we may take, just throwing (6)our minds back to (6)our
meeting here (3) ten months ago and now, is that appearances are often very deceptive, and
as Kipling well says, we must "…meet with Triumph and Disaster. And treat those two
impostors just the same."
You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes
things out (8)far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those
people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many
more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry
this far-reaching imagination. But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this
 [Type text] Darie Bianca Georgiana
1st year of Master, CCB

period –(9)I am addressing myself to the School - surely from (3)this period of ten months
this is the lesson: (7)never give in, never give in, never, never, never-in nothing, great or
small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. (7)(5)
Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We
stood all alone (3) a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed,
we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, (2) our School history, this part of the
history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated.
(8)Very different is the mood (3)today. (2)Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a
sponge across her slate. (5)But instead (2)our country stood in the gap. There was no
flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside
these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we (3)now find ourselves in a position
where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.
You sang here a verse of a School Song: you sang that extra verse written in my
honour, which I was (8) very greatly complimented by and which you have repeated today.
But there is one word in it I want to alter - I wanted to do so (3)last year, but I did not
venture to. It is the line: "Not less we praise in darker days."
I have obtained the Head Master's permission to alter darker to sterner. "Not less we
praise in sterner days."
Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days. (5)These are
not dark days; these are great days –(8)the greatest days our country has ever lived; (10)and
we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to
play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.”
[Type text] Darie Bianca Georgiana
1st year of Master, CCB