SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P.J. KEATING, MP FUNERAL SERVICE OF THE UNKNOWN AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER 11 NOVEMBER 1993

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Central Ideas / Arguments

•Democracy, nationalism and unity of spirit

•Mateship, courage, duty and loyalty

•Non-glorification of war

•The paradox of one representing many

•War is meaningless, but a soldiers life is meaningful

•The recognition of the sacrifice of one, symbolises the sacrifices of all soldiers

•We should acknowledge and be grateful of their sacrifices

•Unknown soldier encapsulated as ‘the true heart of the nation’

•Generate pride

•Promotes Australian values

•Calls all Australians to celebrate the work of soldiers

Context

• Keating two years into PM role


• Held on 11th November, the day Australian’s celebrate Armistice Day and the end of WWI/Remembrance Day


• May 1993 - Republic Advisory Committee set up- created by the Keating Labor government, the Committee laid the foundations for proposed Constitutional change


• Mabo- 1992/ Native title- 1993- Both movements involving Aboriginal identity and their struggle towards national reconciliation, this factor led Keating to word his speech in a way that was still emotionally impacting, yet respectful of the Aboriginal community. 


• Speech was delivered in the middle of the Reconciliation debate- concerns about Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal identity. Keating had to be careful with wording as to not offend any particular party.


• Worked with speech writer Don Watson who believed that once a speech is delivered, it is the property of the speechmaker, as it gives their views, attitudes, preferred language and intonation.

Values

Non-glorification of war

“because the Great war was mad, brutal, awful, awful struggle, distinguished more often then  not by military and political incompetence…victory was scarcely discernible from defeat…”

Keating sums up this war as ‘inexcusable folly”

The war is portrayed as a tragedy, where victory was also defeated

They are not glorifying war, but honouring the sacrificed lives of all the soldiers, from all countries and sides of war

 “for out of the war came a lesson which transcended the horror and tragedy and the inexcusable folly it was a lesson to ordinary people….that they were not ordinary”

 The war allowed for the ordinary people of society to achieve the extraordinary. The heroes, soldiers, sailors, nurses all taught a nation to endure hardship, to show courage, to be bold and resilient, believe in themselves and to unite the nation as a group

One representing many

 “he is all of them, and one of us”

“it was a lesson about ordinary people – and the lesson was they were not ordinary”

The unknown soldier honours the memory of all the men and women who laid down their lives for Australia

By honouring the memory of the many through just one person, it is a reminder of the loss caused by war and the lessons people and war which was gained (honouring and remembering the dead and their sacrifices, hardships and impact on the nation)

One gain is a legend of bravery and sacrifice, a deeper faith in the nation and a ‘deeper understanding of what it means to be Australian’

However, the unknown soldier not only honours the past, but also ‘enshrines a nations love of peace’

Democracy, nationalism, unity

His family is lost to us as he was lost to them”

Democracy (majority decision making, by the people for the people)

Makes reference to the ANZAC story  Australian legend of bravery, sacrifice 

lead to a deeper faith in the nation as a whole and its democracy as well as a deeper understanding of what it means to be Australian

“ a legend of free and independent whose disciplines derived less from military formalities and customs than from the bonds of mateship and demands of necessity”

The story of the unknown soldier is the heart of the ANZAC legend, which leads to a deeper  of what it means to be Australian, the values of  unity and nationalism, which are a tradition which Australians “have gone to war with ever since"

Mateship, courage, duty, loyalty

Soldiers sacrifice for their nation, as well as for each other

Links to the ANZAC story, the sacrifices soldiers make for each other, as well as all of us

“on all sides they were the heroes of that war…the soldiers, sailors and nurses, those who taught us to endure hardship, to show courage, to be bold as well as resilient, to believe in ourselves, to stick together”

“He went for no other reason than that he believed it was the duty he owed his country and his king”

By honouring the unknown soldier, the nation is also honouring their values on the treatment of others, each other and their reason to fight

Honouring mateship which creates unity as a nation in the battlefield, courage to accept their duty to their nation, to defend it, loyalty for Australia and their ‘mates’

Structure of Speech

Introduction

Begins with a short and abrupt statement which sets the tone for the speech, and establishes the persona of the unknown soldier, and how he represents all those fighting for their country 

 "We do not know this Australians name and we never will" 

Introduces recurring use of inclusive language to follow opening sentence 

This paragraph leads into details on the characteristics of different soldiers and the sacrifices they make to serve their country