September 11, 2001 will always be referred to as one of the darkest days in American history. It was a day that sent the entire nation into chaos, grief, and anger. Following the events of 9/11, former President, George Bush addressed the nation in the Oval Office at the White House in an effort to restore a fallen nation. Although I was just 6 at the time, I do remember sitting in front of the T.V. and watching President Bush’s address the nation and reassuring me that I was safe and that everything would eventually return to normal. Knowing that he was addressing innocent victims, grieving families, and a grieving and angry nation, President Bush used various rhetoric techniques ethos, logos, and pathos to provide a sense of security and how the nation would move forward. Throughout the speech, President Bush uses logos to prove that he was going to take control of the …show more content…
He says “The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight and will be open for business tomorrow. Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business as well.” He uses logos to utilize these points in order prove to the audience that everything was under control and will eventually return to normal. President Bush’s also used ethos to display his responsibility in regards to the response to the attacks. In the speech he says “Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government’s emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it’s prepared… Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks.” The president used the works “I” and “Our” in order to establish the responsibility and actions he took on
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
President Bush and Prime Minister Blair delivered speeches shortly after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia, which occurred on September 11, 2001. Former President George W Bush utilized pathos, anaphora, and personification in his speech to convey an optimistic tone. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, addressing the same topic, utilized mild invective and parallel structure to express an affirmative tone. Throughout the speech, the former President George W. Bush strives to empower Americans by instructing them to remain resolute, but to “go back to [their] lives and routines”. He uses the personal pronoun we and the common pronoun us repeatedly to indicate that the people of the United States, who either saw the event on television or experienced this event firsthand, were and still are involved in this national tragedy.
9/11 was one of the most devastating events in American History. Four hijacked passenger airplanes killed almost three thousand people. 9/11 changed millions of lives forever. American Citizens didn’t feel safe. This attack was a wake-up call to American security. 9/11 forced the country to acknowledge its shortcomings and fix them, before any more harm could come upon the United States of America. 9/11, as all acts of terror do, promoted the growth of technology, in this case, security in the United States. 9/11 also brought about feelings of hatred to the country. The United States soon became known as one of the most intolerable nations on this planet. Lastly, 9/11 butchered the economy and forced it down a long road to recovery.
Bush demonstrates that with the use of metaphors, personification, and also repetition. Using metaphor, he compares America to steel, saying that America is like steel, but not pliable. Portraying that whatever dangerous act comes to America, America will stay strong and not move. Personification is to explain the reasoning behind the terrorists’ operations and the motives behind this move. Bush gives feeling and visualization traits to the nation, consequently putting it in the nation’s point of view, highlighting what the nation felt and saw. Repetition is to bring America together and strengthen everyone. It is to show that this heartbreaking event did not just affect the victims, but it affects the entire country. The way Bush uses repetition to get the people of America together makes America stronger because the more a country is together, the more power and strength it will possess. As a final point, President Bush’s usage of these three rhetorical devices grabs the attention of the people and helps Bush express the type of tone he wants to get
September 11, 2001 is a date in American history that will not be forgotten by American citizens. After the assault on both the Twin Towers in Manhattan, and the
He says he responds immediately to emphasize the importance of the matter as well as the importance of anyone caught in the middle of the disaster. More importantly his use of expression of good will is still evident when Bush states, “ And I pray they will be comforted by a Power greater than any of us…”,(6) where one usually prays to a Higher Power when things go beyond the capabilities of a single man. He is praying for comfort for all Americans who may have been devastated after the crisis at hand. Bush’s overall use of ethos in his speech was very
Communication has been around since there has been life on earth. We communicate in two different ways; verbally and non-verbally. Verbal communication is talking, singing, basically, using our voice. Non-verbal communication is facial expressions, body language, eye contact and sign language. People may not realize it, but they communicate non- verbally all of the time, even when there isn’t any word said. It is basic human instinct to communicate whether it be for an emergency or just for entertainment. Since the up rise of the internet, cell phones, and technology, there has been an increase of communication in between people; most of the time, it is non-verbal communication.
Throughout George W. Bush's political career he has implored the use of Aristotle's tripod, which we like to call it. This tripod is a rhetoric which implies that persuasion relies on three things, which are ethos, pathos, and logos. Logos is devoted solely to logic and reason. While on the other hand, pathos deals with attitudes and beliefs. Perhaps the most important one which pertains to George W. Bush is something called ethos, that is to say the branch of the tripod which deals with the personal strengths of the speaker and most importantly his character. Throughout his political journey he has showed the use of pathos, logos, and ethos time and time again, but the one of which he is commonly known for is ethos. The instances in which he has demonstrated them are countless, but I will recall but three. The first event took place on the day of September 14, 2001 at 'Ground Zero', three days after the attack of the World Trade Centers. The third instance was on September 20, 2001 during his Address to a Joint Session of Congress. Lastly, was the State of the Union Address in Washington D.C. Which was held on January 29, 2002.
September 11, 2001 (9/11) will always remain in the minds and hearts of all people in the United States. This date brought fear to this country but it also brought hope and a bond that will never be broken for the citizens of this great nation. The extremist group, Al Qaeda, committed a heinous crime against this nation by taking control over four airliners to carry out an attack on this nation. For the most part, they succeeded in carrying out their suicide mission but, they did not destroy us. They made us stronger and made us more aware of our vulnerabilities. The Nation woke up on this day of horror and will forever change the way it operates.
In his opening lines Obama shows his compassion for the victims and mourners of the shooting stating: “I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand by you tomorrow.” With just this short statement Obama aligns himself with the American people, showing his empathy and comforting the people by saying “I will be here for you.” This allows him to form a connection with his audience, which he further reinforces though his use of the term “we” when addressing the American population: “We mourn with you for the fallen. “We join you in your grief.” He also draws parallels between the nation’s mourning following the shooting and the mourning that comes with losing a family member...
Ethos is a rhetorical device authors use to establish their credibility to speak authoritatively on a topic. To strengthen their arguments, they also use logos, or logical arguments and scientific data, and pathos to create an emotional reaction in the audience. In the ERWC Juvenile Justice unit, four different authors, with four different levels of ethos, discuss whether or not juveniles who have been charged with murder should be tried as adults in the adult court system. Most argue that minors should be tried in the juvenile court system, while one demands that adolescents who massacre innocent victims spend the rest of their lives in prison. After closely reading each author’s opinion, it is clear that Paul
Just as our parents and grandparents remember where they were and what they were doing when President John F. Kennedy was shot, so will it be with this generation when asked the same questions pertaining to September 11, 2001. This horrific event will be a scar on the body of our wonderful nation until the end of time. Parents lost children, children lost parents, spouses lost their heartmates – so much anguish and emotional devastation demands that something be done to prevent tragedy like this from occurring in the future. This is why President George W. Bush created the Office of Homeland Security.
No one will ever forget the fateful day of September 11, 2001. That day was and still is a day that not only changed America, but also the World. September 11th, more commonly referred to as 9/11, began as a normal day. However, at about 8:45 terrorists hijacked a plane and flew it right into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York. At first everyone thought it was just an accident, but at 9:03 it was confirmed a terrorist attack as another plane flew into the South Tower. The entire country was on high alert, but it still wasn’t enough to stop another plane that flew into the Pentagon at 9:37. There was a fourth plane but it crashed in Ohio on its way to D.C. to supposedly hit the White House. Not more than 12 hours after the first attack President Bush stood before the nation and gave a short five minute speech. This speech was to rally the nation and the world to fight to stop terrorism, assure everyone that the United States was still functioning and would continue to function no matter what, and to condemn the ones responsible for these attacks. (Salem Press)
On 9/11/2001, I was four years old and I was merely a preschool student. I remember sitting on my living room floor watching flight 175 fly into the south tower and seeing both towers collapse. My young mind was as innocent as can be, yet I recognized all the lives lost and the importance that the event would hold in our country’s and the world’s history. Thus, I remember it happening to this day.