Every Man a King: Analysis

Every Man a King: Analysis

Symbols, Motifs, and Rhetorical Devices

Rhetoric

Whatever you thought of Long's politics or personality, you couldn't deny that the guy was a master of rhetoric. He could size up a crowd in moments, never used notes, and had a virtually photograp...

Structure

How it All Breaks Down"Every Man a King" was written as a speech intended for a nationwide radio audience. Long loved to give speeches because he knew he was so good at it. He could persuade people...

Tone

Righteous Indignation If you don't walk away from a speech by Huey Long with a heart full of outrage, then you probably have a heart of stone. At a time when many were standing in bread lines just...

Writing Style

Long's style combined a first-rate grasp of American mythology and history with an appeal to religion. Americans in Huey Long's day knew their Bible, so his ability to weave into his speeches the m...

What's Up With the Title?

"Share Our Wealth" vs. "Every Man a King"The title of Long's speech comes from a phrase that Long borrowed from William Jennings Bryan's "Against Imperialism" speech made on August 8, 1900. Bryan p...

What's Up With the Opening Lines?

I have only 30 minutes in which to speak to you this evening, and I, therefore, will not be able to discuss in detail so much as I can write when I have all of the time and space that is allowed me...

What's Up With the Closing Lines?

Now, that I have but a minute left, I want to say that I suppose my family is listening in on the radio in New Orleans, and I will say to my wife and three children that I am entirely well and hope...

Tough-o-Meter

(5) Tree Line Huey Long was a brilliant mind, and though his speeches were mostly directed toward his poor (and largely illiterate) supporters, he didn't pull any rhetorical punches. The speech is...

Shout-Outs

In-Text ReferencesAmerican History and PoliticsThe Declaration of Independence (6, 11, 12, 16)U.S. Supreme Court (39)Daniel Webster, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, William Jennings Bryan, and T...

Trivia

Conspiracy theories still swirl around Huey Long's assassination. There were no ballistic tests on the bullets that killed him and no autopsy; the inquest held afterward was closed to all but a few...