Paras. 12-13

12 "This is no time to moralise on the follies of countries and Governments which have allowed themselves to be struck down one by one, when by united action they could have saved themselves and saved the world from this catastrophe. But when I spoke a few minutes ago of Hitler's blood-lust and the hateful appetites which have impelled or lured him on his Russian adventure I said there was one deeper motive behind his outrage. He wishes to destroy the Russian power because he hopes that if he succeeds in this, he will be able to bring back the main strength of his Army and Air Force from the East and hurl it upon this Island, which he knows he must conquer or suffer the penalty of his crimes. His invasion of Russia is no more than a prelude to an attempted invasion of the British Isles. He hopes, no doubt, that all this may be accomplished before the winter comes, and that he can overwhelm Great Britain before the Fleet and airpower of the United States may intervene. He hopes that he may once again repeat, upon a greater scale than ever before, that process of destroying his enemies one by one by which he has so long thrived and prospered, 4"On Saturday, June 21, I went down to Chequers just before dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Winant, Mr. and Mrs. Eden, and Edward Bridges were staying. During dinner Mr. Churchill said that a German attack on Russia was now certain, and he thought that Hitler was counting on enlisting capitalist and Right Wing sympathies in this country and the U.S.A. Hitler was, however, wrong and we should go all out to help Russia. Winant said the same would be true of the U.S.A. and that then the scene will be clear for the final act, without which all his conquests would be in vain-namely, the subjugation of the Western Hemisphere to his will and to his system.

Q1: What do paragraphs 12-13 mainly talk about?

A1: It is on the rationale for Britain’s involvement in the war.

Q2: What can be known from paragraphs 12?

A2: They focused on the ground for the attachment between Obama and Wright.

Q3: How do you paraphrase the following knowledge points?

1. This is no time.… from this catastrophe. (Para.12)

What we need now is not tedious explanation of how foolish those countries and governments were in letting themselves be overrun by Germany one by one without forming a united front to fight Germany. If they had fought in a unified way, they might have saved themselves and therefore saved the world.

moralize: to express one's thoughts on the wrongness of; to indulge in moral reflection or talk (on a subject)

2. But when I spoke a few minutes ago... outrage. (Para.12)

When I mentioned Hitler's insatiable desire for conquest which has driven him to attack Russia, I said there was another and more important reason for his adventure.

1) blood-lust: strong, usually evil desire for

2) hateful: detestable; loathsome

3) impel: to push (someone) forward

4) outrage; a very wrong or cruel act which arouses great anger

3. He wishes to destroy the Russian... of his crimes. (Para.12)

The main reason is that he wants to destroy Russia so that he can crush Britain.

This reveals Churchills psychology as an imperialist, a champion of the British Empire. To him, Britain is still the center of the world.

1) suffer the penalty of his crime: to be destroyed for the crimes he (Hitler) has committed

2) suffer: to be punished

4. His invasion of Russia… of the British lsles. (Para.12)

His invasion of Russia will pave the way for his planned invasion of the British Isles.

5. He hopes, no doubt... winter comes... (Para.12)

Obviously, he hopes that he can bring his Russian campaign to a successful end before winter sets in. The Russian winter is, of course, particularly vicious.

6... he can overwhelm Great Britain. intervene. (Para.12)

He can crush, conquer Britain before the US. can come to her help.

7.… by which he has so long thrived and prospered... (Para.12) He has so far been very successful in employing this tactic.

8.… and that then the scene will be clear for the final act... (Para.12)

The final act refers to the defeat and conquest of all the countries in the Western Hemisphere. Then there will be nothing to prevent Hitler from conquering all the countries in the Western Hemisphere, which he must do if he wants to bring the whole world under his control.

the scene will be clear: the stage will be ready for the final act.

Para. 13

13 "The Russian danger is therefore our danger, and the danger of the United States, just as the cause of any Russian fighting for his hearth and home is the cause of free men and free peoples in every quarter of the globe. Let us learn the lessons already taught by such cruel experience. Let us redouble our exertions, and strike with united strength while life and power remain."

Q1: What does this paragraph tell?

A1: It is a reiteration of the rationale and a call on the British people to fight Nazi Germany.

Q2: How do you paraphrase the following knowledge points?

1. hearth and home (Para.13)

(poetic) home and its comforts

2... in every quarter of the globe. (Para.13)

in every part of the world

3. Let us learn the lessons already taught by such cruel experience. (Para.13)

We should bear in mind the fact that Hitler had been successful because many European governments had allowed themselves to be struck down one by one.

This time we should all support the Soviet Union and shouldn't let Hitler repeat his tactics.

4. Let us redouble our exertions... life and power remain. (Para.13)

Let us strengthen our unity and our efforts in the fight against Nazi Germany when

we have not yet been overwhelmed and when we are still powerful. The ending is a final appeal, to the U.S. and other countries in the world.

5. The following are some of the rhetorical devices Churchill employed to make his speech vivid and forceful:

1) Periodic sentence Periodic sentences achieve forcefulness by suspense. The essential elements in the sentence are withheld until the end.

e.g. a) Any man or state who fights on against Nazidom will have our aid.

b) If Hitler imagines that his attack on Soviet Russia... he is woefully mistaken.

2) Rhetorical question/interrogation

Interrogation asks a question not in order to obtain an answer, but for the purpose of making an assertion in a striking and lively way.

e.g. … but can you doubt what our policy will be?

3) Parallel structure

e.g. a) We will never parley, we will never negotiate with Hitler or any of his gang.

b) We shall fight him by land, we shall fight him by sea, we shall fight him in the air...

c) Behind all this glare, behind all this storm...

d)I see the Russian soldiers standing... I see them guarding... I see the ten thousand villages... I see advancing upon. I see also the dull... I see the German bombers... I see that small group...

e) That is our policy and that is our declaration.

f) We shall be fortified and encouraged in our efforts... We shall be strengthened and not weakened in determination and resources.

g) Let us learn the lessons already taught by such cruel experience. Let us redouble our exertions.…

4) Inversion

e.g. a) From this nothing will turn us-nothing.

b) but this I will say

5) Repetition The repeated use of the same synonymous words, to add force, clearness or balance to a sentence.

e.g. a) We have but one aim and one single, irrevocable purpose.

b) He has so long thrived and prospered.

c) We will never parley, we will never negotiate...