Rhetorical Analysis Of Public Address 9/11

IWhen America was attacked by terrorists on 9/11, President Bush put out a public address to the people of the United States. He addresses the people in a personal and emotional way. He does this to show that he’s been effected by this tragedy just as much as anyone else. His words are strong and convincing and his point is clear all the way through. He sets the mood using meaningful words such as deliberate, deadly, and terror to add more of a context that gets the viewer more engaged.

In Bush’s address, he states that the country has been the focal point of a horrific terrorist act. He explains that America is strong enough to handle this kind of attack and that this event will not shake us. He thanks the people of the United States

for volunteering to help out and donate blood through this hard time. He then talks about the actions they will take against the people who committed this act. He says he will make no distinction between the people who planned this attack and the people who committed them.

Throughout his address, he uses strong words and phrases to show empathy and set the right mood for the occasion.

He uses words like “terrible sadness”, “quiet, unyielding anger”, “brightest beacon”, to strengthen the address. Bush also tries to put himself in the same spot that the rest of America is in to put more of a personal connection between him and the audience. This works successfully because of his effectiveness to use such engaging words to grab the attention of the person viewing. If he is able to make his address more personal, then the words he is saying will mean much more to you, especially if you had someone who was killed on that

day.

With the addition of strong words to set the mood, he also talks about how great America is. He continues to state that America can’t be broken in any way. He states, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.”. I think this statement is what made this speech so special. I believe this statement is what gave so many people hope and the dedication to keep moving forward. It drills in the fact that America can’t be broken and will always stand tall. He just states it in a brilliant way and makes it so much more special with the way he words it.

He then quotes a verse from the bible.

It is Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me.”. He uses this to drive his point home even further. He wants to show we are strong and unbreakable and God is with us through our darkest moments. Bush was very smart for using this verse because it perfectly illustrates what people need to hear. He is trying to tell people that no matter what happens in your life, you are never alone. If Bush were to just tell people that they’re not alone in these terrible times, it wouldn’t have as much of an impact. He needed something that most people in America would believe, God.

At the end of the address, Bush talks about the freedom that we fight for even though we are attacked so frequently. He states, “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.” This sentence explains how we will continue to move forward but never forget 9/11 at the same time. This again, shows how strong we are through all of this. If we show that we are weak, that will only strengthen the enemy, which they are trying to

achieve.

Bush’s overall message to the nation was that we can’t be beaten. No one can make us fall even in our hardest moments. He does a great job of conveying his message in a unique way and in a way that’s never been seen before. He uses the correct language and doesn’t fail in making his point clear, America is the greatest nation on Earth.