A Rhetorical Analysis Of Bush's 9/11 Address

Bush, in his address, makes use of arguments of association with a sense of duty to ignite a fire within the American citizens. From the onset of the speech, Bush’s objective becomes clear: inspire the public. He 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” (“9/11 Address to the Nation,” para. 3). The attacks ultimately destroyed the World Trade Center; the towers collapsed wreaking havoc on the city underneath. As Bush notes, terror attacks had the capability of causing such devastation. The terrorists can harm the tangible – buildings or other parts of the infrastructure – but

Bush, further, says: “America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining” (“9/11 Address to the Nation,” para. 3). America was founded upon the sincerest ideals of freedom and opportunity for all. No such act against the nation will be brushed aside; the response will be so monumental that the light of those fundamentals will shine bright. Bush reminds the citizenry that the United States does not roll over in the face of conflict; America has a duty to itself and to the world to preserve those ideals of freedom and opportunity. Bush concludes his speech by saying: “This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world” (“9/11 Address to the Nation,” para. 8). Once again, Bush draws on the notion of American resolve. The public, as a whole, has the capability of bringing those responsible for the devastation to justice. With a united front, the American people will preserve goodness and justice

Considering that the focus of this essay remains the national address made by Bush on the night of September 11, the findings of the researchers with regards to the speech will be of particular emphasis. The researchers found: “From overall foreign policy job performance rating in the morning (M = 45.03) to the post-speech approval of his announced policy actions and intentions (M = 78.10), his rating improved by 33 points” (Schubert et al., 2002, p. 572). Bush’s approval ratings, in the area of foreign policy, skyrocketed 33 points after the speech was delivered, thus, insinuating a causal link existing between the national address and public approval of a president. The researchers further note: “The data from our respondents show a significant effect for the Bush address on positive emotions (BAS arousal) and a strong effect on approval ratings of his policy statements. These effects on approval ratings were significantly enhanced for those actually viewing Bush’s address (Schubert et al., 2002, p. 578). The researchers also explain BAS arousal during the course of the study and provide details on the impact of political action on those specific emotions. They state: “The positive emotional system has been labeled the behavioral activation system (BAS) because it initiates action. Theoretically, for a crisis-related