After reading and listening to the “Bullhorn Speech at Ground Zero,” it is easily determined that the speaker of the poem is George W. Bush. The occasion was that the president was giving this speech shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Bush’s audience was the American people and the world as a whole. His purpose was to reassure the American people and make them feel safe, as they were mourning the deaths of their loved ones. Also, his purpose was to let the world know that this tragedy doesn’t make America weaker; in fact, this tragedy brings the American people together. Now, in a strange way, America is more united and strong. This shows that tragedy brings people together.
Ethos, the appeal to character, was present abundantly in this speech. Looking at this speech as a whole, we see the president at the site of a tragedy. The idea of having a president who shows up when the world needs them the most is what the people want to see. This sense of willingness, made by Bush, shows the people that he is caring. He cares about America, and he cares about the people. The purpose of building up of Bush’s character, by making him seem caring and compassionate, is to persuade the audience to trust Bush.…show more content… An example of pathos is when Bush said, “and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!” These words created an emotion of fear. This fear is not instilled in the American people, but rather it is put into the people who caused the 9/11 attacks. This shows fear because it is letting the enemy know that, even though America is going through this tragedy, we are going through it together, and we will not back down in fear. Instead, you should be fearful. You being the terrorists that caused 9/11. This appeal to pathos impacts the audience by making them feel patriotic, motivated, and inspired in the face of loss and