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Rhetorical Analysis Of George W. Bush's 9/11 Speech

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The 9/11 terrorist attack on the U.S. had its nation shook and will forever be commemorated by its citizens. Just hours after the incursion, President Bush stood up for his country and addressed the nation with a speech in a live broadcast. In his speech, he used many rhetorical strategies to invigorate his country. His use of tone alternated throughout the speech, which displayed his many different attitudes toward what had happened. President George W. Bush’s Address to the Nation brought patriotism within the nation by promising that America will recover from the horrid terrorist attack. President Bush’s 9/11 speech was addressed because of a series terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001; the attacks took the lives of thousands of innocent people. As stated by Bush, the U.S. …show more content…

For example, the first paragraph of his speech initiated with a sorrowful mood but then is reversed to a more positive, upbeat mood. “Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror”, Bush announced. Although, towards the end of the paragraph, he stated a more hopeful feeling, “But they have failed. Our country is strong.” His rhetorical strategy, changing from a negative to a positive tone, is known as a juxtaposition. His use of this juxtaposition gave the audience hope. However, the audience was not only the American people; the message was also implied for the terrorist. When Bush announced “...they have failed”, he was meaning to inform the terrorist that his country is strong and unified. In the fourth paragraph, Bush sends the terrorist “a message” informing that, “The search is underway for those who were behind these evil acts.” “...{We will} find those responsible and bring them to justice,” he adds. Bush’s created a bitter yet calm tone in the fourth paragraph. Although the different tones, the speech was well

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