Iron Curtain Speech

Churchill opens his speech by positioning himself as an everyman, using humor, and as a man free to speak his own mind. He has “no official mission or status of any kind” (22), so he is about to give his honest opinion.

As the speech begins, even as Churchill acknowledges that it is the United States that stands “at the pinnacle of world power” (22), he includes his own country in his observations about this opportunity. The theme of Working Together emerges early, with the pronoun “you” quickly giving way to “we” and “our.” Nonetheless, to frame his proposal, he adopts the American military approach of establishing an “overall strategic concept” (22). This concept, he argues, must center on giving security to “the wage-earner” and his wife and children. Specifically, the United States, in conjunction with its English-speaking allies, must end two main threats: war and tyranny.

In discussing war as the first threat, Churchill emphasizes how devastating the effects of war have been for the average citizen, especially in Europe. His descriptions of “the frightful disturbance in which the ordinary family is plunged” during war would have resonated with many among his

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