A Rhetorical Analysis Of President Bush's Speech On 9/11

On September 11, 2001, Islamic terrorists executed attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. killing nearly 3,000 people. Later that day, President George W. Bush released a statement to the public describing the acts that occurred, the steps that were being taken to return communities to peace, and the steps the government was taking to retaliate against the people that committed this heinous act. President Bush explained the horrifying events, and then reassured the public that his administration would be unfazed by the attempt to disrupt the American way of life. Although this event was not something that he or the American people would soon forget, he stressed the importance of remaining positive
First, he used a combination of emotions, such as empathy for those who were harmed by the attack along with anger towards the attackers. His ability to maintain a tranquil demeanor while portraying various emotions allowed President Bush to successfully establish the appropriate tone to address both of his audiences effectively. Secondly, President Bush used audience analysis to determine the appropriate language and emotions that needed to be presented in order to convey his message accurately. He knew that he was dealing with both a disheartened group of Americans that had lost hope, those who were dealing more with anger than with pain, and a ruthless group of terrorists who sought only to cause disruption in our nation. Finally, President Bush made sure to structure his speech in a way that would cover every aspect of the situation from how the public was reacting to how the government intended to handle those involved in order to reduce the amount of unanswered questions from the American people. He knew that it is important that the public feels that their voice is heard and he did everything possible to assure them that it