Eulogy for Princess Diana of

Madison Gilbert,

Wales by 9th Earl Spencer Lea Yorke,

Samiyah Rivera,
Justin Meduri
Thesis
In order to honor and respect his sister at her funeral, while also sealing her future
legacy in this world, Earl Spencer appealed to the public’s love and admiral of Princess
Diana by utilizing asyndeton, unifying language, and biblical references.
Intro Lea Yorke

On Sept. 6, 1997, the world mourned over the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Few
could have guessed the extraordinary momentum that the mourning for her would
generate. By the time of her funeral, thousands of people lined the funeral route. Her
passing also coincided with a seemingly broader shift in British sentiments, marked by the
end of 18 years of Conservative government a few months earlier. In his recent History of
Modern Britain, writer and broadcaster Andrew Marr noted the "perceived shift towards a
more compassionate, more informal and more image-conscious Britain".Had this princess
unlocked something in the psyche of the nation, typically painted as private, stoic and
emotionally detached?
Unifying Language Madison Gilbert

One of the most prominent elements of rhetoric found in the eulogy was unifying
language. Throughout the speech, Spencer uses plural pronouns such as “we”, “us”, and
“our” to connect himself to the audience. In the introduction of his speech, Spencer uses
first person to set the tone, and allow listeners to identify his own grief. However, as the
speech progresses, he begins to transition into unifying language that transforms his
sorrow into that of the audience. This language also broadens the audience of the speech.
Instead of just himself and her family, the speech identifies the grief of the entire country,
and even projects the image of an entire world grieving for her. The audience is able to
relate to this speech due to the unifying language used. It creates the sensation that their
loss is understand, and more importantly, that they are part of something bigger than
themselves -- a plethora of people mourning the death of a key societal figure.
 Lea Yorke
Conclusion
After Princess Diana’s death on 31 August 1997, the newspapers were telling us the
nation's streets were stained with our tears and that Diana had brought an intensely
personal language of pain and love into the "buttoned-up discourse of civic life" People
related to Princess Diana as a 'feeling' person. Her brother, Earl Spencer was able to
convey these feelings as he appealed to the public’s love and admiral of Princess Diana by
utilizing asyndeton, unifying language, and biblical references.
Wale…. Thanks for
stopping by!!!!!!