TOW #5 - "9/11 Speech"

George W. Bush

     The writing that I chose to analyze for this week was George W. Bush's commentary publicly released following 9/11. The hysteria that amassed the United States after the horrendous terrorist attack required the President to address the nation as a whole for two reasons. One, to assure the public that security measures are being taken and two, to prove to the terrorists that this event will not break the US. As the President of the United States discussing about the matters of the country, he has plenty automatic ethos. He establishes a common plight by saying things like "our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist attacks" and "thousand of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts." By using the pronoun 'our' in discussing about "our nation saw evil," "our military is powerful," and "our country is strong" President Bush is able to create a sense of unity with his audience to prove his care for his country. 

     His strong empowering diction when describing the US government and military, such as "strong," "powerful," and "prepared" helps in the persuasion of the pubic to believe in their country's capability to ward of evil. Because the last thing the US needs is hysteria and unrest amongst their own people, easing the public mind is an important task. The US revers themselves as the "brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world," and yet a major commercial city fell victim to terrorists. This event proved that the might US may not be as strong as they seem, so the President must assert his power to maintain his reputation.