A Great Controversy

            British rule in India has been for long a very controversial topic since it has brought in opinions from all political parties and has caused extended discussions of British duty in that country. The speech by Winston Churchill Our Duty in India is very well-written and very persuasive. His attack on the Socialist Party and on their ideals with what appears to be credible evidence adds profoundness to his perspective on British rule in India. At the beginning of the speech, Churchill starts to propose several questions crammed into a single one. The many questions fallacy is present when he states, “What spectacle could be more strange, more monstrous in its perversity, than to see the Viceroy and the high officials and agents of the Crown in India labouring with all their influence and authority to unite and weave together into a confederacy all the forces adverse and hostile to our rule in India?” This allows him to continue his speech giving arguments that appear to answer all the questions he proposed, when he is only answering one or two of them.

            Another fallacy that I depicted in the speech was misinterpreting the evidence. This type of fallacy is used when Churchill declares, “Gandhi stands for the permanent exclusion of British trade from India. Gandhi stands for the substitution of Brahmin domination for British rule in India. You will never be able to come to terms with Gandhi.” Here the premise and the examples given fail to lead to the conclusion. None of the proofs can guarantee that the British government cannot come to an agreement with Gandhi. Finally, a complex cause is used when he states, “This wonderful fact is due to the guidance and authority of a few thousands of British officials responsible to Parliament who have for generations presided over the development of India.” Churchill shifts his argument temporarily from blaming the Socialists for their lack of authority to state that the main and almost only reason why India is currently is good shape is because of the loyal British soldiers (obeying Conservative orders) in India. Churchill provides solid arguments that are very convincing to the audience and through his effective use of fallacies, is able to assert certain ideas and draw conclusions that seem to be the only correct ones.