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Oklahoma Bombing Speech Analysis

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Caroline Woodrome
COM 135 MC
Professor Jarvis
April 24, 2012
Oklahoma City Bombing Prayer Service Address 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.
The overall goal of the message was to appropriately respond to the Oklahoma City bombing, support the ones who lost loved ones, and address what America as a nation should do to keep this from happening again. This goal was achieved …show more content…

He uses quotes from people in similar situations, the widow, and known, credible sources, like the Bible and St. Paul. President Clinton did quote the little girl, but it was in a story to show his and his wife’s respect, “Yesterday, Hillary and I had the privilege of speaking with some children of other federal employees -- children like those who were lost here. And one little girl said something we will never forget. She said, "We should all plant a tree in memory of the children." So this morning before we got on the plane to come here, at the White House, we planted that tree in honor of the children of Oklahoma. It was a dogwood with its wonderful spring flower and its deep, enduring roots. It embodies the lesson of the Psalms -that the life of a good person is like a tree whose leaf does not wither” (Clinton, 2008). President Clinton delivers this message in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but he is delivering the message to the community around the bombing and Americans. This is because the speech was recorded and televised. Although, he does appeal directly to the audience actually around him with a quote from the governor’s wife, Mrs. Keating, “"If anybody thinks that Americans are mostly mean and selfish, they ought to come to Oklahoma. If anybody thinks Americans have lost the capacity for love and caring and courage, they ought to come to Oklahoma" (Clinton, 2008).

I was very impressed with President Clinton’s speech. President Clinton addressed

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