Words of World War II 

Words of World War II: A Comparison and Contrast Essay

Karibella. W

Composition 22

5.20.2025

Words of World War II 

World War II is known as the deadliest and most terrible war in history. It involved countries all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific and, tragically, had the highest death toll of any conflict.  Starting just 21 years after World War I, many adults still remembered or had fought in the First World War when news of the Second World War arrived.  King George VI of England gives a moment for this realization in his bleak speech, announcing England’s participation in the war on the 3rd of September, 1939. He said, “For the second time in the lives of most of us, we are at war”(King George VI).  While many adults who heard this speech had experienced war already in their lives, many English children were not even conceived until after WWI.  For the young boys at Harrow School, located just outside of London, the idea of war must have been terrifying. Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England, visited these boys twice during WWII.  On his second visit, in 1941, following the Blitz, he delivered a speech of hope and resilience, calling the boys not to give in to the force of despair but to stay hopeful and strong. (Churchill 1). Churchill and King George VI held different tones in their wartime speeches, but they both reflected upon the war and gave calls to action.

George VI wrote his speech to all British people living at home or abroad.  The vastness of his audience and the grave news he had to deliver contributed to his speech being more formal and bleak than Churchill’s.  King George started his speech with, “In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history…” (King George VI).  Using this as the opener highlited the sense of dread King George felt for the war as well as the gravity of having to tell his people, and the world.  He shows with eloquence the gravity of the issue when saying, “For we are called, with our allies, to meet the challenge of a principle which, if it were to prevail, would be fatal to any civilized order in the world.” (King George VI)  Telling all English men that the free world is at risk is no small task, which makes his formal and hopeless tone appropriate.  In contrast, Winston Churchill starts his speech reminiscing about his prior visit to Harrow School.  Churchill was speaking to children about a very serious subject, and though these children were likely more mature due to experiencing war, he still chose to appropriately maintain a more gentle tone. After recounting the nature of his last visit, he says, “What can anyone sitting here this afternoon, this October afternoon, not feel deeply thankful for what has happened in the time that has passed and for the very great improvement in the position of our country and of our home?” (Churchill 1) This was to effectively raise the spirits and mindsets of the children, and the rest of his speech followed the same theme.  Both King George and Churchill used tones and maintained fitting moods that helped their audiences to focus on the issue directed in their speeches.

While Churchill and King George used different tones in their speeches, they both reflected on the war and the circumstances of their people. Churchill began by recounting his past visit to the school and the events of that time, speaking of the instability of British positions, how alone Britain was, and the great losses brought by the Blitz.  To counter his sad reminiscing, he compares the time of great hopelessness, hopelessness that was only furthered by the Blitz, to the lighter days ahead promised by new allies. At the end of his speech, he spoke about a verse in the song the children sang for him in which they said, “Not less we praise in darker days”.  To this, he said, “I have obtained the headmaster’s permission to alter Darker to Sterner. ‘Not less we praise in Sterner days.’  Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of Sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days – the greatest days our country has ever lived.” (Churchill 2) By changing the word darker to Sterner, he tried to impress upon the children that when reflecting upon changes brought by war, one must remember to look to the light ahead.  King George reflects in a much less hopeful manner as he announces the start of a war.  His very first and most important reflection is upon WWI, which, he points out, many people had lived through.  He understood that the reintroduction of war into adults’ lives would bring despair and low morale.  He reminded people of the efforts made for peace to underscore the ultimate necessity of declaring war, almost as if to justify the choice of war. Near the end of his speech, he contemplates the necessity and privilege of peace, for which they will fight, giving people something to hope for midst the terrible news.

Both leaders wrote reflectively to support their call to action, and each wrote a distinct and appropriate call to action for their respective audiences. King George gave a very clear call to action near the end of his speech. “It is to this high purpose that I now call my people at home, and my people across the seas, who will make our cause their own. I ask them to stand, calm and firm and united in this time of trial.”  He followed this with the conviction that it would be hard to stay calm, firm, and united.  That it would be a dark time.  That the war may be brought home, but the only thing to do in this situation is to stick to doing the right things and to stick to God’s cause. (King George VI)  This is very fitting for the time because the country and world were entering a new phase, and a dreadful one too.  When Churchill gave his speech, he was speaking after two years of war and after some of the worst days of the war for England.  His call to action was to “never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” (Churchill 1) As he was speaking to teenagers, he taught this simple but wildly important lesson to inspire action.  But what was the ultimate purpose of both calls to action? The ultimate purpose was to give the people hope! Without hope, there is nothing to strive for; without anything to strive for, there is no action; without action, there is defeat, and defeat leaves the people to ‘be kept in the bondage of fear’ forever chained to the principles of the enemy. Churchill and King George VI understood this and wrote speeches incorporating the relevant calls to action that would spur their listeners accordingly.

Winston Churchill and King George VI had different tones in their speeches; both reflected on their topics and had different calls to action.  King George VI announced to his people the beginning of the English campaign in WWII with a grave and bleak tone.  Two years later, Churchill was speaking to teenagers at Harrow School about the war, but he spoke in a more informal and inspiring tone.  Churchill and King George both reflected upon the war and the duty of keeping freedom within their speeches.  After they each reflected upon the war, they gave a call to action to their listeners.  King George called the English people to keep ‘calm and carry on’ while Churchill asked the young boys to never give up in the fight for justice and freedom.  (Churchill 1) During the period of the World Wars, the citizens of the world needed strong leaders to follow, and Churchill was such a man.  His words especially ensured that morale was held and the hope for a new world would not fail.  King George, while playing a lesser-known role in wartime management, held the head of England high and maintained relations with his people to hold England’s heart strong.  Both men’s speeches are instrumental in the language of freedom and perseverance and can be an inspiring call to action or reminder to anyone from any time that the fight for what’s right, the fight for God, the fight for freedom from evil and hatred, should never be laid down or forgotten!

Works Cited

“King George VI.” American Rhetoric, https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/kinggeorgevifirstradioaddress.htm. Accessed 16 April 2025. 

Never Give In, Never, Never, Never, 1941.” America’s National Churchill Museum, https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/never-give-in-never-never-never.html. Accessed 16 April 2025.