Stalin delivered this speech to an audience of soldiers who, immediately afterwards, were going to fight against the Nazis in the Battle of Moscow. The primary purpose of the speech was to inflame his audience and to send them to battle determined and proud.
At the beginning of the speech, Stalin reminds his audience that some of their compatriots have "temporarily fallen under the yoke of the German brigands." This is a metaphor. A yoke is a device fitted around the neck of an animal, usually a horse, ox or mule. The yoke is then attached, with ropes, to a cart which the animal is forced to pull along. Thus, when Stalin says that their are Russians metaphorically "under the yoke of German brigands," he is implying that the Germans are treating those Russians like slaves, and, worse, like animals. The intended effect is to rile up the audience, and make them hate the Germans that they are about to fight.
Another rhetorical device that Stalin uses throughout the speech is the rhetorical question. A rhetorical question always has an implied answer, which the speaker hopes to make the audience think as if they have thought of it themselves. One such rhetorical question that Stalin asks is, "Can there be any doubt that we can, and are bound to, defeat the German invaders?" The implied answer here is, "no, there cannot be any doubt." Stalin also asks, "Who can deny that our Red Army has more than once put the vaunted German troops to panic flight?" The implied answer here is that nobody can deny this, and the logical inference is that if the Red Army has repelled the German army so many times before, then they can certainly do so again.
Stalin also uses personification to suggest that the German army is mortal and weak. He tells his audience that "Germany is bleeding," and that "her reserves of man-power are giving out." The German army at this stage in World War II had acquired a fearful reputation as a powerful and relentless force. By personifying Germany as a "bleeding woman," Stalin tries to puncture this reputation. He tries to make the German army mortal and weak in the minds of the Russians who must soon confront them in battle.
Joseph Stalin was a Soviet political leader when he delivered his speech at the Red Army parade. He used rhetorical devices like anaphora, metaphor, allusion, and hypophora to connect with his crowd and influence it to his way of thinking.
Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase multiple times in close phrases. It helps emphasize a point or drive it home to the audience. Stalin uses this when he repeats the word Germany or German multiple times in one statement. He says:
If one judges, not by the boastful assertions of the German propagandists, but by the actual position of Germany, it will not be difficult to understand that the German-fascist invaders are facing disaster. Hunger and impoverishment reign in Germany to-day; in four months of war Germany has lost four and a half million men; Germany is bleeding, her reserves of man-power are giving out, the spirit of indignation is spreading not only among the peoples of Europe who have fallen under the yoke of the German invaders but also among the German people themselves, who see no end to war. The German invaders are straining their last efforts. There is no doubt that Germany cannot sustain such a strain for long. Another few months, another half-year, perhaps another year, and Hitlerite Germany must burst under the pressure of her crimes.
Like most rhetorical devices, it calls a listener to identify with his position and also makes it a more eloquent statement. He also uses the phrase "German invaders" many times throughout his speech.
Metaphor is a comparison made between two things. Stalin uses this to equate the enemy of Russia to the devil, saying:
The enemy is not so strong as some frightened little intellectuals picture him. The devil is not so terrible as he is painted.
Metaphors—like similies—can help a person contextualize an idea. We know the devil is bad. The enemy is like the devil: bad and necessary to fight against.
Allusion is an indirect reference, often to an event, a book, or a human being. Stalin makes several throughout his speech. For example:
In the fire of war we forged the Red Army and converted our country into a military camp. The spirit of the great Lenin animated us at that time for the war against the interventionists.
This references the past in Russia and refers in a broad sense to the Red Army created by Lenin during his time in office. It could have been used to help inflame patriotism in the listeners who were proud of their country's past. Stalin also makes reference to the "spirit of the great Lenin" two other times in his speech.
Hypophora occurs when a speaker asks a question and then immediately answers it. Stalin does this a couple times:
And what happened? We routed the interventionists, recovered all our lost territory, and achieved victory.
Who can deny that our Red Army has more than once put the vaunted German troops to panic flight? If one judges, not by the boastful assertions of the German propagandists, but by the actual position of Germany, it will not be difficult to understand that the German-fascist invaders are facing disaster.
Hypophoras lead a listener to feel that they have had their own question answered. A person hears the question, has the thought, and before they can evaluate the evidence and answer—the speaker provides a response.
Stalin used these rhetorical devices to help inflame and further control his listeners. Many dictators throughout history use the same rhetorical devices to deliver strong speeches that electrify crowds.
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