Rhetorical Analysis Of George Bush 9/11 Speech

43rd President of the United States, George Bush, in his speech, “9/11 Address to the Nation” addresses the nation about the day of September 11, 2001. Bush’s purpose is to convey the events of September 11, 2001 and what was and will be done about them. He adopts a serious yet somber tone in order to appeal to the strong and emotional side of the public and to his listeners around the world.
Bush opens his speech by acknowledging the events of September 11, and those that lost the lives of loved ones and to those that gave their life trying to save others in the buildings. He appeals to those that remain strong by saying that, “These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong.” His use of pathos helps Bush to calm and control the public in order to keep the country together. This

outpouring of confidence and emotion conveys a tone that their ability to stay strong is necessary in a time like this.
The former President applies logos throughout his speech in order to prove to our nation that he is beyond qualified to take control of the situation at hand: maintaining a strong country. In one particular part of his speech, Bush reasons with Americans that “The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight and will be open for business tomorrow. Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business as well.” He utilizes these points to prove to the audience that everything remains under control. Therefore he essentially demonstrates that the recently crushed America is returning to its routine. He mentions the repair of the economy and governmental institutions to convince Americans that there is nothing to worry about as long as such organizations are still functioning. He makes these logical claims to assure citizens that the upper levels of the societal hierarchy are not panicking; and therefore regular citizens should not either. However, Bush also demonstrates the help regular Americans contributed after the attacks. He claims that in response to the attacks, “we responded with the best of America.” Through these claims he logically proves that even “strangers and neighbors” were unharmed and were able to assist those who were in need of help. His logic in proving Americans that our country can withstand such a disaster is proved rather effectively through his strong use of logos.
Although former President Bush exercises logos to prove that American citizens did their part to maintain a strong and dignified country, he also practiced ethos in demonstrating the responsibilities he has in the scheme of 9/11. He instantly portrays himself as a qualified leader as the camera begins to film him in the Oval office with the American and Presidential flag framing him at his desk. The symbolism of the patriotism and power projected in this image are tremendously affecting the audience in believing that anything the then President would say that evening would be official and hold truth. His overall appearance demonstrates his character as well. His obviously profession look gave him a more dignified persona and contributed to his powerful demeanor. As audiences viewed him across millions of television screens, they looked upon a man who was surrounded with great ethos that boosted his complete, leading character.
Furthermore, George Bush uses verbal ethos to establish his character. In his address, he claims:
Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government’s emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it’s prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington D.C. to help with local rescue efforts. Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks.
Although he establishes a strong sense of power and action; he strategically makes use of the words “I” and “our” to reduce the amount of responsibility he holds as President. Taking notice of how he says “I implemented our government’s emergency response plan” it is evident that he credits himself for the immediate response of the emergency units. However one can also take notice how he claims “Our military, Our emergency, Our first priority” and recognize how Bush quickly reduces his responsibility and defers some of it to his fellow subunits in control of the situations. Through his diffusion of responsibility, George Bush lacks effective rhetoric because viewers can recognize that while he is claiming that America stands firmly, he himself becomes weak in not taking full responsibility for the effects of the help. That is to say if something were to have gone wrong during the attempts of the rescue teams, Bush does not take full responsibility as he claims that he and others are working toward the goal of helping those in need.
The last emotion the former president suggests from the audience is hope.

George Bush intentionally generates this emotion at the end to leave viewers feeling slightly better on the situation at hand. In his conclusion, the then president merges viewers in saying, “This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. 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.” His conclusions strike different chords in raising hope amongst viewers. He ultimately depicts a unified country and reminds viewers that something similar to this tragedy has happened before, proving that our country has overcome similar challenges. In addition, his reminds viewers of “all that is good and just in our world” evoking more hopeful thinking from Americans. At the end of his address, Bush uses many positive images that cancel out the tragic ones from his introduction and thusly ends his address portray great amounts of hope, comforting

Americans.
President Bush did an amazing job at staying calm in the face of disaster using ethos, pathos, and logos, to his advantage.