George W Bush 9/11 Speech Analysis

When people think of a time where all of America was under attack they think of 9/11. 9/11 was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in American history. After this deadly attack, President George W. Bush went on national television to talk to the shaken American population. In his speech, he addressed how this issue was to be dealt and his condolences for the lives lost. President Bush used multiple effective ways including ethos, pathos, and logos to comfort and inform his people in his 9/11 speech.

When the twin towers were destroyed in New York City by the terrorist group led by Osama Bin Laden, a Country filled with panic, sadness, and anger was left behind. Thousands of innocent civilians were killed, and the families of the fallen suffered greatly. People demanded answers, and wanted justice. People also felt unsafe, and were unaware if it was reasonable to expect another attack. President George Walker Bush prepares a speech for congress to discuss the events that took place, and the plans that will take place because of these events. The objectives of the speech Bush was trying to accomplish were informing the nation what had happed on September 11th, he then noted that it was not Muslins to be blamed for the attack, the challenges that lie ahead, and our plan for the “War on Terror.” The President uses the canons of rhetoric to execute a speech that met his audience’s needs.

First looking at President Bush’s speech, the overall situation being shared throughout this piece of work is that the incident of 9/11 was a devastating tragedy and we should always remember it as a reason for why we should continue to stay strong and surpass the limit. Although Bush never did say all this, but he reflected the idea in we should never feel at complete sorrow whenever we remember this incident, but instead, feel the need to improve and advance to prevent this act of terrorism. It is never a wise choice to sorrow over a problem and leave it untouched. Ever since the incident of 9/11, the United States of America has excelled and advanced ever since in order to prevent future terror-influenced acts.

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

On September 11th 2001, the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out terrorist attacks against the United States. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center twin towers. The third hit the Pentagon outside Washington, and the final plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed as a result, and this tragic event defined the presidency of George W. Bush (History.com Staff). Shortly after the attacks, President Bush delivered a powerful speech that helped unify the American people, defy the terrorists, and call the citizens to action. In his 9/11 speech, President Bush successfully uses rhetorical devices to address the terrorism, unite people, and give hope to his audience.

President Bush addresses to the country about the tragedy accident that has happened to the United States citizens. Throughout his speech he says, ”Terrorist attacks can shake the foundation of the biggest buildings but they can not touch the foundation of America” .The terrorist group, Al-Qaeda attacked

“None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.” That was one of George W. Bush’s many emotional yet strong sayings in his speech of the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York city. His goal of unifying, making the country feel bonded together, was achieved through vivid and organized word choice. He chose these words to connect with the people of america's emotions and feelings, while also displaying authority and logical sense that terrorism is a threat to the world.

On September 11, 2001 a national tragedy struck the nation. The terrorist group, al-Qaeda, hijacked 4 passenger airlines and performed multiple suicide attacks at locations such as New York and Washington, D.C. This event struck fear in the American people as this was the largest event that caused the highest lost of lives from a foreign attack on the country. Following the event, the national government was forced to act quickly. The incumbent president at the time, George W. Bush, was left with a difficult task on how to deal with this threat and possible future threats. He worked with Congress to come up with multiple measures they could implement to prevent future events of terrorism.

What better way is there to appeal to an emotionally damaged group of people than to appeal to their feelings of resentment? The pathos in this speech was instrumental in the rise of Bush’s approval rating from just over 50% to a staggering 90% (Gallup, Inc. “Presidential Approval Ratings -- George W. Bush." Gallup.com). In one instance, Bush mentions the sight of Republicans and Democrats alike joined together on the Capitol singing “God Bless America”, and this is just one phrase that illustrates how devastating the attacks were. Bush makes many remarks to demonstrate that the acts of the Taliban are illogical, and only acted upon sheer spite. As said by Bush himself, “They hate what they see right here” (“The Rhetoric of 9/11: President George W. Bush -- Address to Joint Session of Congress and the American People”). He goes on to explain that this is indeed a reference to the democracy that the U.S. is

From this manipulation of the word evil, one can find the more concealed connection Bush is making; between America and love. As America is the opposite of terrorists, America therefore must also be the opposite of evil, love. Due to these connections and associations, there is a greater emphasis on Bush’s other rhetoric theme, his biblical allusion. He quotes psalm 23 as, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me” (Kohn). From these connections, one can infer that “fearing no evil” represents the terrorists, and Bush is telling the citizens of America to be strong and not concede to fear. From the use of diction and allusions, there is a much larger emphasis of the ideas being conveyed in the speech.

For example, he said, “terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America” (Bush 2). Bush uses the metaphor by saying America has a foundation like a building but cannot be destroyed like an actual building. The “foundation” the nation is built on will be hard to take down and not as easy as the buildings. America will remain solid. The base of America will hold and stay firm. Another figure of speech used is personification. He says, “today, our nation saw evil” (Bush 2) because he gave a nonhuman thing the sense of sight is personification. The personification makes more appeal and to say everyone in America saw the terrorist attack. By saying “our nation” he means the citizens or anyone who makes up the

When Bush addressed the nation, he had to assure the American people of their country’s strength, which would undoubtedly triumph through this unthinkable misfortune. George W. Bush states, “These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong (Eidenmuller).” This shows how Bush is trying to create an emotional connection to the audience by instilling in Americans that our country must remain unified and strong during this time of terror. Bush also states, “These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve (Eidenmuller). This statement testifies that our country cannot be broken, and our country will prevail. About one-in-five Americans cite the country’s response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as the time in their lives when they felt most proud of their country (Gramlich). This indicates just how powerful our country can be if everyone works together. The terrorist attacks on the United States will forever be burned into the memories of Americans. That being the case, Bush’s attempt at creating an emotional connection to the audience was successful because he brought the country together with words of strength.

“Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government’s emergency response plans” (Bush 7). As the newly elected president, Bush must make an impression that he can be a strong president and uses ethos to build that credibility. “I have directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice” (Bush 7). He shows the persona of a reliable leader who can get the situation under control. “And I pray they will be confronted by a Power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me” (Bush 7). With the biblical allusion, Bush is trying to showcase that God supports

The events that took place in America on September 11, 2001 will have a lasting wound on this country forever. President George W. Bush’s speech, “A Great People Has Been Moved to Defend a Great Nation”, gave America something to have hope in. Bush was a republican president and was the 43rd of the United States and was a very passionate man. Although Bush had to make some tough decisions that very day, he was a president that made a lasting impact on America. Throughout Bush’s speech, he effectively covered pathos, ethos, and logos.

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.