WINSTON CHURCHILL

The Winston Churchill speech I chose was, "War of the Unknown Warriors" (I have posted a link to it at the end of my blog) which he gave on July 14, 1940. The reason I chose this speech is because for me it hit home, so to speak. I've been through a lot of struggles myself. Doctor's have told me things that resulted in me having to prepare myself for a life long battle. Things that would "without a doubt" result in death. I know what it is like to HAVE to fight. Sometimes....you have NO CHOICE. What needs to be done....just needs to be done...and that's that. Of course, just as in war, you have more of a chance of survival when you have a helping hand from others. Churchill's words were preparing people for the war. In this speech, Churchill made a few statements that I would like to elaborate on. For starters, within the speech, he said, "Faith is given to us to help and comfort us when we stand in awe before the unfurling scroll of human destiny." I believe this statement reassured individuals that there is hope. Another statement that grasped me attention included, "We are fighting by ourselves alone; but we are not fighting for ourselves alone." This brought encouragement to the mind of those fighting in the war. Knowing that they are fighting for a cause, fighting for the well-being of their families, friends and fellow humans brought some ease to the situation. Throughout the speech, Churchill spoke of not surrendering and defending their land which, for myself, would bring a sense of purpose and encourage perseverance. He stated that survivors of the last war had the strongest desire to attack the enemy- which is understandable. I feel the speech in a whole had great potential to spark patriotism in all individuals that listened to Churchill's speech. One major phrase that stood out to me was when Churchill stated, "and that while we toil through the dark valley we can see the sunlight on the uplands beyond." Those POWERFUL words insinuated that although times were rough and the war would be long and hard, they know there can be a positive outcome. Churchill is looking past the war....noting that the victory is ahead. This victory will bring justice and in Churchill's own words, "the dark curse of Hitler will be lifted from our age." Lastly...the most important part of the speech in my opinion is the last paragraph. This is the description of how the title "War of The Unknown Warriors" came about. Churchill announced that many people will lose their lives. A countless number of them whose names will not be known, whose contributions to the war will not be recorded, whose memories will live on only as "Warriors". These brave people, these heroes, these patrons will be remembered for their faithful service in war. This part of the speech to me was honoring all people, giving remembrance to those whose lives was lost, giving these warriors the respect they earned and deserved, showing praise and glorifying their presence throughout the war.

http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/speeches/speeches-of-winston-churchill/126-war-of-the-unknown-warriors