How do you explain a central idea from an article? How do you find the "key points" that help develop a central idea in an article? I'm confused.

Main ideas are often found at the beginning of paragraphs. The first sentence often explains the subject being discussed in the passage. Main ideas are also found in the concluding sentences of a paragraph. The central idea of a passage is the message that the author is trying to get across to the reader. The central idea is not the topic. A central idea is stated in a sentence, not just one to two words. Central idea most commonly refers to informational texts.

Explanation:

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)