Rhetorical Analysis Of Bush's 9/11 Speech

Tuesday morning, September 11 of 2001, referred to as a day to remember, the twin towers were attacked by terrorists in a hijacked plane. Thousands of lives were lost and it was a day that brought great sorrow to America. George W. Bush, the president at that time, addressed his speech to America as a nation, giving them hope that the events that took place earlier that day would not shake them but that they would come back stronger. In this essay I will evaluate Bush’s formal 9/11 Address to the Nation and discuss the speaker’s appeals to pathos, logos and ethos to convey his message that America can stand tall as one.

One of the most catastrophic events America has faced were the September eleventh terrorist attacks. Our nation faced one of the most damaging attacks in our history and it was up to our president, George W. Bush, to address the entire nation and assure everyone that America still remains a strong and functioning country. Our President George Bush was called upon to address the nation, a nation that was currently suffering from loss, fear, and despair. His goal was to persuade Americans to take comfort in the effort being put forth in resolving the aftermath of the attacks and the fear they caused. Recognizing his audience as being innocent victims of an unknown evil, President Bush ultimately had to present a speech that mastered various techniques

At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, a 5,000-pound bomb, hidden inside a Ryder truck, exploded just outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosion caused massive damage to the building and killed 168 people, 19 of whom were children (Rosenburg, 2011). On April 23, four days after the bombing, President Bill Clinton addressed the public and gave an effective, excellent speech.

President Bush, shares his view on the matter throughout this speech. Bush’s purpose is to try and help Americans not panic during such a terrifying situation that has changed American history. Since Bush understands what Americans or people in general the world must be feeling, he is able to address the matter in a calm and collected way. In “Bush’s 9/11 speech,” the author, President George Bush, uses various rhetorical devices to reinforce his position on the 9/11 attack.

September 11, 2001 was a tragic part of  history for the United States of America. On September 11,  four planes crashed down by hijackers at the Pentagon, the Twin Towers, and a Pennsylvania field. The Pentagon and World Trade Center were the primary buildings where the Al Qaeda wanted to attack. The White House was another target, however they never made it. Later that night, President George W. Bush gave a speech about 9/11 in the Oval Office. George W. Bush inspired America of their safety and security of his confident tone, religious beliefs,word choice.

9/11 was a very traumatic event in the United States. On 9/11, a series of terrorist attacks took place. There were a total of four hijacked planes that was involved with this historical event. Two planes went right for the World Trade Center or the “Twin Towers.” A hijacker flew the third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. Thousands of lives were ended that day. On the night of September 11, 2001 at 8:30 PM, the whole nation came together to listen to President George W. Bush’s speech. His use of ethos and pathos is good for explaining the issue and being able to talk about what has happened. His use of logos, or logic, is successful because he gives reasoning for what he did when the attacks first happened and how he handled everything.

After the twin towers fell and condensed to rubble on September 11, 2001, the Bush administration quickly formulated a plan to maintain the nation’s sense of national safety and security. John Lewis Gaddis summarized the administration’s directions to the public when he wrote, “Bush requested, and only partially received, what amounted to a global police action against terrorism, combined with a call for vigilance at home and abroad, combined with the suggestion that, despite what had happened, Americans should carry on with their ordinary lives” (Gaddis at 37). The citizens were to follow the example of former British politician Sir Winston Churchill; Bush believed the nation would best react to the crisis by applying Churchill’s words

The purpose of this speech was, overall, to address the tragic acts of terrorism. President Bush accomplishes this in an informative and effective manner through his elegiac tone throughout the speech. This mournful way of writing gives a respectful and empathetic feeling to the address. This is incredibly important, as many people were feeling grief, loss, fear, and heartache at the time. Another purpose for the speech is to call the American people to action. President Bush, through his use of imperative statements, successfully rallies his audience to action. After describing some upcoming changes to the government, he said “These measures are essential. But the only way to defeat terrorism as a threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it, and destroy it where it grows” (“George Bush Speech”). This imperative statement gets the audience feeling determined to do their part to destroy terrorism. Soon after, he said, “I have a message for our military: Be ready. I’ve called the Armed Forces to alert, and there is a reason. The hour is coming when America will act, and you will make us proud” (“George Bush Speech”). This specifically calls the military to action, which is a critical aspect of the speech. President Bush also uses this speech as an opportunity to thank people who made a difference in the tragic event, saying “I thank the Congress for its leadership at such an important time”, “I thank the world for its outpouring of support”, and, “…I thank you for your

On September 11, 2001, America was attacked by members of an Islamic extremist group resulting in the deaths of over three thousand people, including more than four hundred firefighters and police officers. Needless to say the people of America were both frightened and confused, looking to their leader President George W. Bush to offer comfort and guidance during this dark time, and President Bush responded with an inspiring speech full of hope, Indeed President Bush’s speech was a powerful and immediate response to the events of that terrible day because he was not only able to capture the emotions of his country, but also because he was able to form a call to action for his country, reassuring them of his will and ability to protect America and retaliate for the horrific events of that day. He utilized important elements of rhetoric including ethos, logos, and pathos.

In George W. Bush’s 9/11 speech, he used very many different ways to bring peace and comfort to the citizens of America. Bush used Ethos, Logos, and Pathos in his speech, all of which made him trustworthy, believable, and a great leader. In the speech, Bush talks a lot about coming together, remembering those who died, and moving in the right direction. I believe the speech was a very good speech because he had a duty as the leader of the country to calm his people in the midst of chaos, and he did just that.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, al Qaeda terrorists carried out a set of coordinated suicide attacks with four-hijacked passenger planes and killed around 3,000 people on American soil. The first two planes hit the World Trade center in New York and killed everyone on board and hundreds inside the buildings. Following this attack, the nation was informed by President Bush that these attacks were, “apparent terrorist attacks on our country” (http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-timeline). The third hijacked plane soon crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and killed hundreds of people aboard and 125 military and civilian personnel inside the building. The fourth plane deliberately crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, taking the lives of all the people and the crew aboard after a few passengers tried to take the plane back from the hijackers. With thousands of lives taken and the American people frightened and in need of answers, they expected someone to deliver a speech to provide comfort and guidance. George W. Bush, as president, was the only logical rhetor to fill that need, and nine days later on September 20, 2011, he addressed the Nation in a Joint Session of Congress concerning the terror attacks. As we examine political speeches and analyze how rhetorical devices are used, we turn to experts William Lutz, Clyde Miller, and Carol Lea Clark for guidance. Miller, Clark, and Lutz note to the

I believe that these speeches addressed what the nation needed to hear at the time. 9/11 was a time of sorrow. The whole nation was in shock to find out about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center. Individuals all over the world mourned that day. Thousands of people died that time. So many people wept for those fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, brothers and sisters that all died that day. Courageous men ran into the burning building trying to save as many as they could. Many lost there lives or love ones that day; needless to say, the country was in a difficult time. These speeches all spoke about strength and coming together as one to stop these acts of terrorism. George W. Bush gave the nation what they need to

“I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people -- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!” stated George W. Bush in his powerful speech. This uniting speech brought the nation together after the tragic terrorist attack, 9/11.

On September 20, 2001 President George Walker Bush delivered a speech to Congress titled “After 9/11” concerning the tragedies that took place in New York City. America was flooded with shock and grief after learning that members of Al-Qaeda had hijacked airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City. President George W. Bush hoped that his speech would put Americans and the world at ease as he talked about how America was going to band together not only with one another but also with those around us to prove just how strong our American support system was. President George W. Bush’s speech used the rhetorical appeals Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to help ease the mind of those who were scared and changed the way Americans looked at terrorism.

The morning of September 11th, 2001, four attacks within the United States left our nation in complete shock. According to the Final Report of the National Commission, “More than 2,600 people died at the World Trade Center; 125 died at the Pentagon; 256 died on the four planes. The death toll surpassed that at Pearl Harbor in December 1941.” Although, I was only two years old, 9/11 had a huge impact on my childhood and is a defining moment of my generation. President during this time was George W. Bush. As his duty, President Bush had to give a speech to a nation that was terrified. That speech was dedicated to every American suffering loss, fear, and despair. Rhetoric used in a speech gives the speaker logical, ethical, or emotional appeal. President Bush does a great job grasping all the uses of rhetoric in his speech.