America and Her People

Tonya Hamilton
Catherine Grandorff
ENGL 130
29 September 2012
America and Her People From 1776 to present day, America has been ever changing and her people have been a different breed, no matter where their ancestors came from. America stands for the freedom of any U.S. citizen, and any American willing to share the ideas of the people have defined what America means and the character of her people. When September 11, 2001 came with such tragedy to America’s shores, everyone was trying to define what it meant to be American and what America stood for after the attack left the country, and her people, in complete shambles. By the time September 20, 2001 came around, Americans wanted answers and those answers were contained in the speech by their Commander and Chief. George W. Bush, who was President at the time, had gained plenty of criticism for how his speeches were delivered, but he knew that the country was at a very emotional point. Bush’s “Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People”, ties ethos and logos to strengthen his pathetic, or pathos, appeal in order to strengthen what America is and what her people stand for. Through ethos, otherwise known as building trust with the audience, Bush tied in the trust and compassion needed for a pathos appeal. He demonstrated the power and reputation he has, along with Congress and the members of his cabinet, in order to gain the trust of the people and to show them he has the best interest out for the people and the country. Bush said, “And tonight I also announce a distinguished American to lead this effort to strengthen American security; a military veteran, an effective governor, a true patriot, a trusted friend- Pennsylvania’s Tom Ridge”(Bush 115). Bush uses phrases like “distinguished American”, “military veteran”, “effective governor”, “true patriot”, and “trusted friend” to show the American people that if the leader of this country can put such high faith in this person to build back the country, the people need to trust him with all of the credentials and titles he carries.
In his speech, Bush also states, “And I will carry this: It is a police shield of a man named George Howard, who died at the World Trade Center trying to save other… This is my reminder of lives that ended, and a task that does not end” (Bush 117). He uses this man’s sacrifice in his story to show what kind of sacrifices true patriots are willing to make, to keep their country safe and unmoving. This statement is not only ethos, but pathos because Bush is demonstrating that George Howard was a man worth trusting, and how he loved his country so much he gave his own life for it. He wanted to inspire others to build the type of reputation that man had and to make a personal investment to their country, even if it means paying the ultimate price.
He wants the American people to not only trust in his words, but to trust in him. Bush starts to close with, “I will not forget this wound to our country or those who inflicted it. I will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people” (Bush 117). Bush uses the repetition of “I” to show the people, yes he is the President of the United States, but he is human and he is an American who wants justice, security, and maintained freedom for his country like many other Americans did during the time this speech was given; he wanted to gain trust through the emotions of the people.
New York was left in shambles after the World Trade was destroyed, along with the spirit of those who called themselves New Yorkers. Bush knew this, but he also knew what would help him gain the trust of the people that things would get better. “Tonight we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary spirit of all New Yorkers: Governor George Pataki, and Mayor Rudolph Guliani. As a symbol of America’s resolve, my administration will work with Congress, and these two leaders to show the world we will rebuild New York City” (Bush 117). Over the few days after 9/11 the strength and determination of these leaders showed New Yorkers, Americans and people in general, that there was hope for the American spirit to be revived, along with New York City. These men were the beacon of hope after the attacks, and Bush knew that the public trusted these men and were very touched by how they were helping even the most ordinary of citizens. Bush wanted to reach the whole American populous, so using just one approach wouldn’t have been the right move. He used logos to show people he could back up his argument with facts and evidence; however, the facts he chose were bound to strike an emotional note with the public, making his logos strengthen his pathos. Bush remarks, “Nor will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with our own: dozens of Pakistanis; more than 130 Israeli; more than 250 citizens of India; men and women of El Salvador, Iran, Mexico, and Japan; and hundreds of British citizens” (Bush 112). Bush explained that America was not the only county involved in this attack; it was called the World Trade Center for a reason. People from all over the globe came to this building for many different reasons, but they were all gone just like the American citizens. He wanted these other countries to see that just because those people did not die on their own soil, did not mean their deaths were any less important. One question that every American wanted answered was who attached the World Trade Center and how they would take so many lives without even a second thought. Nobody really knew who attached America, but Bush informed the people exactly who was to blame. Bush stated,
“The evidence we have gathered all points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as al Qaeda. They are the same murderers indicted for bombing American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and responsible for bombing the USS Cole…But its goal is not making money; its goal is remaking the world- and imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere” (Bush 113).
He wanted the people to see Al Qaeda has a history of violent attacks on Americans, even on foreign soil, and they weren’t going to stop unless they were stopped. Bush also wanted to give people a sense of reality. While giving out this information to inform, he wanted to strike an emotional response from America. He wanted Americans to know that these heartless men were at fault, and he wanted the people to get so enraged to where every single person wanted to personally find and destroy anybody associated with Al Qaeda.
Being American is more than just a title; it is a way of life. George Bush uses pathos to describe what it means to be an American, which perhaps explains why his speech was taken so seriously and praised. Bush describes 9/11 with, “We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers, working past exhaustion. We have seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers- in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who have made the grief of strangers their own” (Bush 112). Bush explains how Americans are compassionate and willing to do whatever they must during times of great crisis. He also explains how differences were melted away with this tragedy, no matter what those differences were. “All of America was touched on the evening of the tragedy to see Republicans and Democrats joined together on the steps of this Capitol, signing ‘God Bless America.’ And you did more than sing; you acted, by delivering $40 billion to rebuild our communities and meet the needs of our military” (Bush 112). Everyone was coming together to help the people who were so devastated by the terrorist attacks and to help the men and women in the armed forces. As the speech progresses, Bush wants the people to get justice for Al Qaeda’s attacks and not rest until they have been hunted down and terminated. “They hate our freedom- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.” He wants Americans to know that showing compassion and being vulnerable are more than okay, but Al Qaeda needed to see why messing with the U.S. was the worst idea they ever had and why they needed to be scared about the U.S. getting payback. Bush makes the firm statement, “These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion” (Bush 113). George W. Bush wanted to let all terrorists and conspirators know that he’s not messing around; either they surrender, or they will be hunted down one by one.
In conclusion, George W. Bush needed to get to the American people, and the best way he could do that was through emotions. He used ethos to gain the trust of a broken nation and logos to get the facts out and to inspire people to deliver what Al Qaeda had coming to them, while also tying in these appeals into his overall pathos appeal. He knew the country was fragile, and using the raw emotions coming from so many was the perfect way to get the audience, Americans, and other supports on his side.

Works Cited

Bush, George W. “Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People.”Language Matters: A Writing-about-writing (WAS) Curriculum. Ed. Debra Dew. 3rd ed. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead, 2010. 376-86. Print.