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Rhetorical Analysis Of George W. Bush's Speech

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In January 2001, George W. Bush greeted America for the first time as president. This was a peaceful time in the country, more or less. 2001 was before war swept the nation and prayers for our men and women in uniform became the norm. Emerging from the 1990s world was now dazzled by new technology. In a time before Facebook and terrabyte capable Apple products we were thrilled to be playing on a Playstation while listening to our favorite songs on a first generation iPod. George W. Bush came into presidency the same time Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire hit the shelves. It seems like a world ago but many of his decisions as president still affect us to this day. His primary argument in his inaugural address concern the children of America and how we will work to give them better schools, improved health insurance, and a stronger country to grow up in. His secondary argument centers around using the power of faith and belief in a higher power to become a more unified country. Bush supports his arguments using a strong pathos core supported by ethos. Much of President Bush’s speech revolved around the youth of America. After all he is well remembered for his No Child Left Behind program implemented nationwide. His first mention of children comes with this positive …show more content…

Bush was dealt a difficult hand. Many tragedies happened on his watch and several politicians say it was one of the hardest times to be a president. However, this speech was delivered before the terror of September 11th when the country was divided by race, religion, and fear. America had nine months of peace with the new Commander in Chief. This inaugural address was effective in January 2001, before we were thrust into a seemingly endless and at time meaningless, war. Had this speech been given one year later many of his arguments wouldn’t land and the country would be less welcoming to mosques and synagogues. His Kairos and effectiveness were suitable for a pre-9/11

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