Aim. A writer’s aim is his or her purpose, or goal. All writing, including nonfiction, is generally produced with some overall purpose in mind. As you read Elizabeth I’s speech, try to determine what her main aim is.
Mode. A mode is a form of writing. One common classification system, based on purpose or aim, divides types of writing into five modes: expository/informative, imaginative, narrative, personal/expressive, and persuasive/argumentative. What mode of writing does Queen Elizabeth I’s speech to her troops fall under?
Description. Description portrays a character, an object, or a scene. Descriptions make use of sensory details—words and phrases that describe how things look, sound, smell, taste, or feel. Notice how Queen Elizabeth I uses description in her speech.
Exposition. Exposition is writing that presents facts or opinions in an organized manner. What method of organization does Queen Elizabeth use in this speech?
Parallelism. Parallelism is a rhetorical technique in which a writer emphasizes the equal value or weight of two or more ideas by expressing them in the same grammatical form. Look for an example of parallelism in this speech.
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Prince Phillip of Spain, enraged by the continuing raids on his ships and colonies by Drake and the English, decided in 1588 to attack England with his mighty fleet, the Spanish Armada. The English navy prepared for sea battle while Elizabeth’s lords assembled an army of 4000 at Tilbury to fend off the possible invasion by 30,000 men of the Armada and 16,000 troops from Spain’s ally, Parma. Elizabeth insisted on going to Tilbury, against the urgent advice of her ministers who feared for her safety. This speech to the troops, made on the morning of August 9, 1588, would become one of the most famous of her reign. After hearing it, the Earl of Leiceister said her words “had so inflamed the hearts of her good subjects, as I think the weakest among them is able to match the proudest Spaniard that dares land in England.” The English navy, led by Sir Francis Drake and Lord Charles Howard, defeated the Armada, and the invasion was avoided.
How do you prepare yourself for stressful or frightening situations?
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