FDR is no stranger to invoking fear in his speeches. After all, in his 1933 inaugural speech he famously said, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Which is still such a good line…although don't we also have to fear things like crocodiles, killer bees, and those four spiders we allegedly swallow in our sleep during the average lifetime?

Clearly, Roosevelt was a fan of dropping the f-word, because he mentions fear twice in "First Fireside Chat." First he says, "the phantom of fear will soon be laid" (46), and later he says, "let us unite in banishing fear" (71).

Notice the word choice to go along with fear—a "phantom" is something intangible or impossible to touch, and "banish" means to destroy completely. FDR's goal is to calm and reassure his people, and by choosing such strong words he is giving people confidence that they can defeat both the horrible financial situation…and the fear that comes along with it.