Quit India

As in most speeches, Gandhi’s “Quit India” address is highly tailored to his present and future audiences, including the All India Congress in addition to thousands of others gathered there that day. To be as effective as possible, Gandhi layers his speeches with appeals. He also employs specific references, juxtaposes ideas, and uses lofty language to create a call to action toward independence. The overarching structure of his speeches is practical and strategic. The first two speeches are delivered in Hindi and are very specific to the business of the All India Congress. The first speech sets up the vote for the resolution, and the second speech is Gandhi’s attempt to unify all the factions that still differ after the vote. The final speech, delivered in English, broadens the scope of his message to the wider world and attempts to connect India’s independence to larger themes of freedom worldwide.

Understanding that he is asking a lot of his audience through his “do or die” message, he first works to establish credibility and trust through ethical appeals (ethos). He says, “I want you to know that there is nothing but the purest Ahimsa in all that I am saying and doing today” (1). Ahimsa is the Hindu doctrine of nonviolence, and he references this to remind them that he is couched in deeper ideals. Additionally, he tells a few anecdotes about his relationships with Muslims. His references to the “Ali brothers,” who are high-ranking Muslim politicians, and his time in South Africa working with Muslims both serve to lend credibility to his attempt to unite Hindus and Muslims under one Indian movement. His third speech employs a similar tactic where he highlights his credibility in the eyes of the Western world through his relationship with the Viceroy Lord Linlithgow. He remarks, “I have enjoyed the privilege of friendship as I enjoy it today with Lord Linlithgow” (13). Like any strong orator, Gandhi knows that his argument must stand on the merit of his own credibility, and so he lays that foundation prior to anything else.

Gandhi fleshes out several themes throughout his speeches, one of the most notable being the role that nonviolence should play in the pursuit of freedom. He often juxtaposes nonviolence with a violent lust for power. He notes that a “violent struggle [will] effect a military coup and a dictatorship” but that “a nonviolent soldier of freedom will covet nothing for himself” (1). He later contrasts the “beauty of Satyagraha” with the “empire upheld on untruth and violence” (8-9). Satyagraha is an idea coined by Gandhi himself that means holding firmly to the truth in a nonviolent manner. Gandhi understands that many people believe it is impossible to have a revolution without violence, but he holds firm that true freedom can only come through nonviolent ways. He feels there is a difference between righteous and unrighteous actions. He says, “[W]hat is contrary to justice and equity you can take only by sword and in no other manner” (7), arguing that if the cause is just and right, it does not need to be achieved with violence. These juxtapositions help underscore the crucial role that Gandhi believes nonviolence must have in the movement. While this ideal helps motivate people to join the movement for independence, it is not met. Later, violence becomes a key factor as Britain’s use of brutal force to end the movement includes not only Gandhi’s arrest, but also mass detention and the deaths of thousands of Indians. 

In addition to ethos and juxtaposition, Gandhi lays out thoughtful logical appeals (logos) to establish that there needs to be unity among all religious groups in India to achieve freedom. He reasons that Indians are fighting for true democracy and argues that they should “forget the differences between the Hindus and Muslims, and think of [themselves] as Indians only, engaged in the common struggle for independence” (2). He goes on to directly address the leader of the All India Muslim League, Quaid-I-Azam Jinnah, through a series of rhetorical questions and solid reasoning. He even references core tenets of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed to try and win the Muslims over, saying that “the Prophet treated his enemies with kindness and fairness” (5) and that the Indian Muslims should do the same. This builds on his credibility and his argument for one India. Soon, Gandhi becomes more critical, saying, “But what of those who indulge in abusing? They bring discredit to Islam” (5). He also has sharp words for two specific individuals: Dr. Moonje, a leader of the Hindu Mahasabha nationalist political party in India, and Shri Savakar, another leading political figure of Mahasabha, as well as an activist and writer. Gandhi acknowledges these two men and other Hindus who oppose him when he says they “believe in the doctrine of the sword […] to keep the Mussalmans under Hindus domination. I do not represent that section” (7). By this logic, he is not fighting for Hindus or against Muslims, but rather for all Indians who are ready to unite for freedom.

After establishing credibility and calling for unity, Gandhi argues that their fight for freedom is urgent and must begin now. This is perhaps the most meaningful part of his speeches. Even though he does push for unity among the Muslims and Hindus, he acknowledges that “freedom cannot now wait for the realization of communal unity” (7). This steely tone contrasts with his previous unifying appeals. Gandhi likely knows that his arrest is imminent after this speech, and his tone begins to mirror the gravity of the situation. He then delivers the most famous and striking lines of the speech, “The mantra is: Do or Die; we shall either free India or die in the attempt” (10). Like many revolutionaries, he knows that his language and tone will need to deeply inspire people to undergo what lay before them. He tries to provide courage when he reminds them “to take a pledge with God […] as witness” and says “no power on earth will then be able to keep you in bondage any longer” (10). This inspirational and religious language is meant to remind them that their cause is righteous, and that they will need to find the strength to push forward. As Gandhi concludes his final speech in English, he reiterates how important and urgent India’s freedom is on a broader scale: “I will go ahead not for India’s sake alone, but for the sake of the world” (16). This implies that, although India’s freedom is at stake, so, too, is the world’s future and sense of humanity. He closes his speeches with an extended metaphor about light as he references the “glow of freedom” (16), employing idealistic diction to highlight how places under colonial rule have lost their independence due to oppressive regimes. He claims, “if luster is to be put in their eyes, freedom has to come not tomorrow, but today” (17). In other words, he argues that it is essential for this change to happen now. This adamant tone creates urgency and solidifies the importance of Gandhi’s stance before the All India Congress.