Introduction
On March 19, 2003, George Bush, then President of the United States, gave a speech to the American people, stating that the United States was at war with Iraq. This report will provide historical context of The United States’ relation to Iraq and the Middle East in 2003, information about George Bush’s personal and political life, his use of rhetorical and literary devices in his speech, and an analysis of the speech’s success.
Historical Context
The year of Bush’s speech (2003) was very important in America’s relation to the Middle East. The speech was presented 2 years after the 9/11 attacks by extremists from the Middle East in New York. After said attacks, Bush promised the survivors and emergency responders at the site of
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He is the son of George H. W. Bush, who was the President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. George Bush Jr. was a pilot for the American National Guard and owned oil companies in Texas prior to his political career.
Presidency
George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States and served two terms from 2001 to 2009 with Dick Cheney as his Vice President. He was a member of the Republican Party and had a platform to increase the military, improve education, and cut taxes. His response to 9/11 and America’s participation in the Iraq war were key moments of his presidency.
Use of Rhetorical Devices
Pathos
George Bush appeals to the emotions of Americans many times in his speech. He appeals specifically to the religious values that are very strong in America with statements such as “Millions of Americans are praying...” and “May God bless our country and all who defend her.” By doing this, Bush shows that he shares the same values as American citizens and that God is on their side. In addition, Bush references the 9/11 attacks that are troubling memories for many Americans. He uses their fear of a recurrence and suggests that if America does not stop leaders like Hussein in Iraq, they would have to fight him in their own
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In the first sentence of the speech, Bush says that their goal is to disarm Iraq, and “...free its people and defend the world from grave danger.” Moreover, Bush states that the American military will make “every effort to spare innocent civilians from harm.” With those statements, Bush reassures his audience that the American military is just in their actions as their only purpose in Iraq to bring peace. Next, George Bush gives hope to the American conquest, claiming that their enemies will “...come to know [their] skill and bravery” and that they will accept “no outcome but
In the “George Bush’ Columbia” speech, George W. Bush used a variety of ways in order to make his mark and effectively assemble his dialog. One of the most prominent strategies Mr. Bush used was his sentence structure. He did a great job shaping his speech by initially addressing the problem at hand. He first stated what happened, who it happened to, and gave his condolences to the ones who didn’t make it, along with their families. Mr. Bush also seemed sincere throughout his speech as he made sure to mention each hero apart of the crew. Another technique George W. Bush displayed was the diction and tone he used while delivering the speech. From listening to the audio last week, I remember the passion behind Bush’s words and the sincerity
The “President’s address to the Nation” is a claim of policy. President Bush is asking people to support his policy that “we” have to keep fighting the war “until either we or the extremists emerge victorious.” To hold up his claim of such a policy, he uses three supports during the speech.
Bush opens his speech by acknowledging the events of September 11, and those that lost the lives of loved ones and to those that gave their life trying to save others in the buildings. He appeals to those that remain strong by saying that, “These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong.” His use of pathos helps Bush to calm and control the public in order to keep the country together. This
At the beginning of the president’s speech, Bush used pathos to convey images of the terrorist attacks to the American people. George Bush recalls, “The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge -- huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger” (Bush). This recollection of the terrible events tugs at the emotions of those who were listening to his speech at the time because many families had lost their loved ones to the attacks. The president recalled these terrible images of destruction in order to grab the attention of his listeners and express the mood of the situation. However, President George Bush does not only use pathos for sadness but he also uses pathos to portray American patriotism. The Commander and Chief states, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve” (Bush). This pathos is used for a completely different purpose. Instead of using the rhetorical device to touch on the emotions of the situation, here Bush uses pathos in an effort to lift up a grieving nation. His words are intended to give the horror stricken people hope when he explains how America is not a nation that will be broken so
He implements this emotional appeal into his speech to involve all Americans—people living in the United States of America, regardless of their ethnicity, race, or culture, and to acknowledge that the American people have endured this together, and that they will continue to advance after this event with stronger resolve, stronger than ever. In addition, he implements personification to motivate and empower the American people. “Our nation, this generation, will lift a dark threat of violence from our people and our future” (Bush, 2001). “This generation”, again a synonym for the American people, with its unwavering resolve, will fight for its freedom persistently. He intimates that the future of America and of democratic freedom is in the hands of the American people; that the American people have the power to control their fate.
On September 11, 2001, America was forever changed. On this day, America faced the biggest terrorist attack that had ever been carried out; thousands of people lost their lives that day. Throughout the sadness and mourning of this terrible event, George Bush addressed the nation with one of the most memorable speeches. When President Bush addressed the nation, he stated that America is strong and they could try to bring us down, but we will not be broken.This speech gave hope to many Americans and helped them remember to stay strong. This day will be forever remembered for all the souls that lost their lives and the brave people who threatened their own life to save others.
He repeats the phrase “We will not forget.” (Bush 1) throughout his speech so that the we understand that September 11 should never and will never be forgotten. September 11 was a tragic day in American history and will never be forgotten. He also repeats the phrase we will come together to,” We will come together to improve air safety, to dramatically expand the number of air marshals on domestic flights and take new measures to prevent hijacking. We will come together to promote stability and keep our airlines flying with direct assistance during this emergency.
President George W. Bush use of symbolic strategies is admirable, regardless of one’s beliefs with politics. With his crucial tone combined with anaphoras and pathos, Bush created a speech that was inspiring and provoking. Looking back at everything, it is apparent that Bush used his successful speech as a stepping stone to go into Afghanistan, and then later Iraq. Bush’s 9/11 speech will go down in history and nobody will ever forget about this tragic, horrendous event that shocked our country worldwide.
President Obama’s Address to the nation was presented on January 5, 2016. His speech was shown on all of the major network stations. The main goal of his speech was to get the point across to the nation about the increasing problem of gun use. His speech really focused on the issue of gun control and if it would benefit the country. Overall, the biggest idea of his Address was that gun control is a large issue in the United States. The way to prevent deaths caused by firearms can be prevented in other ways than taking peoples guns away. The examples brought up in this Address really stood out to me. The use of personal, national, and global examples really made his speech stronger on the topic of effectiveness.
In the speech, President Bush uses several metaphors to show that the United States is a strong country. Bush leads into the comparison of America, to the bending still occurring from the planes flying through the
http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/burke/ bush.html. Online. 14. “George Bush”. http://www.interlink-cafe.com/uspresidents/ 41st.htm.
Because of the controversial issues surrounding President G.W. Bush before and during the time of his reelection, the acceptance speech that he delivered is an important piece of literature to study. This diplomatic speech is a piece of rhetorical contribution because the motives and meanings behind any President’s speech is significant to us as citizens of the United States of America. It further warrants our attention because if the audience is able to comprehend the inner meanings and motives behind a presidential speech, then they will eventually be able to differentiate the actual stances and platforms of future presidential candidates and nominees.
President Bush addresses the American people saying he wanted to eliminate threats posed by terrorists and weapons of mass destruction. While mentioning states North Korea, Iran and Iraq he felt that they would pose a great danger to the American people. And that they were “constitute an axis of evil”. The present wanted freedoms victory.
President George W. Bush is notorious for horrible public speaking, tripping over his words and making silly mistakes are not uncommon in President Bush’s speeches. When 9/11 struck the heart of America we turned to President Bush to guide us back to the path of calm and reason. The American population tends to lean on our President in time of tragedy to serve as a system of support. Instantly after the World Trade Center buildings were attacked President Bush addressed the nation on live television. Bush used neo-Aristotelian tactics: ethos, pathos, and logos to instate a sense of patriotism, argue that America will recover from this tragedy and bring justice to our nation.
In a quotation by Barack Obama on November 4, 2008, he says “That is the true genius of America-that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow”. Obama's inauguration speech mirrors the ideas expressed by that quote. Barack Obama's message in his speech is that through hope and change, we can pull the country out of recession, out of turmoil, and out of any difficult tasks we'll have ahead of us. What we have achieved shows that we can achieve it again, and the only reason these feats were achieved was because we were one nation working together. Obama successfully incorporate rhetoric into his speech to make it emotional, believable, and logical. His speech is a great representation of a well written rhetorical essay.