Rhetorical Analysis Of President Bush's Post 9-11 Speech
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When tragedy occurs there is no clear way of handling or reacting to it. The lose of life can invoke more than one emotion in a person. Tragedy is one of the few events in life that can do this. To be able contain these emotions takes strength and leadership, both things George W. Bush possessed. President Bush captured the public's attention with the use of rhetorical persuasive techniques, while also reminding people that America is still strong enough to triumph over any terrorist organization. The goal of the post 9-11 speech was very simple. President Bush wanted to remind the American public that they have a leader who will not allow the terrorism to continue. He wanted to let the people know that he was down in the trenches with the common people and was not a higher official who unaffected by this event. “Our very freedom came under attack” (Bush, par 1) instead of using open pronouns, Bush deliberately chose to use words such as “our” to make the speech more personal. This specific word choice made people understand they were not the only ones affected by the attack. President Bush was trying to comfort, inspire and appear on the same level as everyone else. One of the easiest ways to appeal to…show more content… This ability allows everyone to determine whether something is right or wrong. Naturally our society values good actions and opposes those of evil. This made the majority of the public agree with the president for labeling the attacks as evil. “Today our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature” Bush, par 2. George chose to draw the line between good and evil, while clearly stating which side is good or evil. This moral appeal tugged on a nature instinct that the public could latch onto. America is the victim, once again another example of a loaded word with a lot of meaning behind it. The appeal behind these specific words are incredibly meaningful as