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A Rhetorical Analysis Of George W Bush 9/11 Speech

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One of the most catastrophic events America has faced were the September eleventh terrorist attacks. Our nation faced one of the most damaging attacks in our history and it was up to our president, George W. Bush, to address the entire nation and assure everyone that America still remains a strong and functioning country. Our President George Bush was called upon to address the nation, a nation that was currently suffering from loss, fear, and despair. His goal was to persuade Americans to take comfort in the effort being put forth in resolving the aftermath of the attacks and the fear they caused. Recognizing his audience as being innocent victims of an unknown evil, President Bush ultimately had to present a speech that mastered various techniques …show more content…

It is important for him to touch upon these emotions, and make the audience feel the sorrow, dignity, and hope, however, it is more important for him to remain strong and uphold his powerful image as our leader. He strongly upholds this dominant character throughout the speeches entirety. His almost stone-like facial expression allows audiences to perceive him as dignified and they can therefore instill more trust in his capabilities as our nation's leader. Had former President Bush expressed all the emotions he was mentioning, the audience may have altered their perception of him by perceiving him as weak, such as if he were to render sorrowful expressions in front of the people who elected him as leader. It is important to keep in mind that at this time, Bush had only been president for a short matter of time and still had to prove himself as a qualified leader, therefore it made sense that he only verbally depict emotions such as sorrow. Former President George Bush accomplishes a well organized speech by his proper and effective use of pathos in addition to logos and

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