Rhetorical Analysis Essay On 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.

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

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 11th, 2001, tragedy struck America with the attacks on the Twin Towers and on the Pentagon. Not only did tens of thousands of New Yorkers see these atrocities firsthand but, millions of viewers watched in horror on the news; witnessing their nation under attack. Hundreds of terrified civilians ran from the carnage, however there were some who ran toward the collapsing buildings to save innocent lives. President George W. Bush stood with the fire fighters, the police and other first responders holding the flag of his nation and gave his address to the mourning citizens of the United States. He mainly used the strategies of ethos and pathos to try to comfort the American people and also have them rise and fight against the terror.

Feelings of concern, compassion, and interest, “Being a president that is willing to come to heart of the tragedy that had just occurred, automatically lifted his character to that of a person who is caring, compassionate, and interested. His sense of eunoia or goodwill was seen throughout his speech,” (Docan.) Other feelings which were shown that day were feelings of sympathy and pity (pathos), “Bush's numerous statements, such as, “The nation sends its love and compassion to everybody who is here”, bring out emotions of pity and sympathy, placing America as the “helpless and harmed”,” (Docan.) He also brought out emotions (pathos) combined with religion (logos), “Bush used an immense amount of religious jargon Phrases such as, “On bended knee in prayer” and “May God bless America,” appealed to both emotions (pathos) and to ways of thought (logos) and religion,” (Docan.) A sense of security was re-established and the American people were reassured that things would turn out fine. This reassurance was seen in the following, “And the people who knocked down these buildings will hear from us soon,” he was not creating fear in American lives, but he was appealing to the fears of whoever knocked down the buildings,” (Docan.)

“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.

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

In the beginning of the speech he uses pathos, or emotion, which is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response. George W Bush says, “Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge -- ­­huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat” (1). He tries to catch his audience by talking about all the bad things, and lives ended, but then states, “But they have failed. Our country is strong” (1).

On September 11, 2001, George W. Bush delivered his 9/11 Address to the Nation at 8:30 PM to all Americans. This speech, broadcasted throughout the nation from within the Oval Office just hours after the terrorist hijacking and the crash on the Twin Towers, reassured American citizens during a time of devastation and need of proper leadership. (Eidenmuller). Through rhetoric intended to convey strength and the actions America had already taken to combat this tragedy, Bush instilled hope in the American people and provided them with a sense of unification.

President George W. Bush uses pathos in his speech to help unify the people. His wording has people feeling shocked, surprised, and angry. He reasons the cause for the attack was because “we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world” (Bush 7). Bush successfully vilifies the enemy, as it is still strong today, to unify the citizens under a common enemy. He continues pathos with a justice-seeking tone on how he will bring justice to those responsible. With compassion and hope, Bush asks people to pray on behalf of those affected by the

In President Bush’s Address to the Nation Speech the day after September 11 (9/11) in 2001, President Bush wants to inform the country of this tragic event and what was going to happen for the country. President Bush uses rhetorical devices to captures the audience’s attention and to reach this purpose. President Bush mainly use pathos, logos, anaphoras, and personifications to achieve his purpose.

Bush uses the first few paragraphs of his speech to introduce several of the people he is working with. The appeals he makes in these lines are excellent examples of ethos, the rhetorical appeal to character. Bush continuously comments on the character of the people around him. He speaks of them as if he knows them very well, almost like old friends. Through this appeal the audience became able to relate to these people and learn a little bit about their character. Some of the people mentioned have large families and are of an honest and selfless nature. Because the speaker’s purpose is to gain support from the constituents for the candidates represented, the appeal to the character of the candidates is a crucial tool that becomes extremely vital to the swaying of the audience to the purposes of the speaker.

The Use of Pathos in this speech is used in a way that affects everyone’s emotions do to the attack on Oahu, Hawaii. Here’s an example of pathos in the speech given, “The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost.” This quote appealed to everyone’s emotion in the U.S. by telling us the damage caused by the Japanese. Everyone in the U.S. are most likely feeling depressed and full of anger towards the Japanese Empire because the military forces and the innocent citizens were attacked and/or killed. With Roosevelt’s statements, the people in the U.S. are feeling more insecure, whereas the president wants to go to war to show other nations that we will defend ourselves.

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.