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Rhetorical Analysis Of Address To The Nation

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Address to the Nation Introduction Throughout the past, many great speeches have been delivered by individuals whom have shaped the course of history with their words. With the likes of Lincoln, Churchill, Kennedy, Reagan, the list goes on… Now a speech exists mainly to either inform, to entertain, or to persuade, but it can also serve more specific purposes: to be a voice for millions of oppressed people, to instil courage in an army on the eve of battle, or to give rise to a nation in the face of terror and uncertainty. Context On September 11 2001, the world stood still in shock as the World Trade Centre came crashing down. For those who witnessed the horror firsthand, the images of burning bodies jumping from buildings and the Twin Towers …show more content…

The president structures his address effectively, in that, he firstly commemorates the fallen, then he increases morale, and finally, he gives a call to action. Bush utilises the bandwagon device to do this, which is arguably the most persuasive technique that he employs throughout the whole speech and is also frequently found in political speeches and propaganda which create public sentiment. Words such as we, our, us, them are used repeatedly and create an overarching theme of unity which is what this entire address is based around. “I implemented our Government's emergency response plans. Our military is powerful. Our emergency teams are working… Our first priority…” Instead of saying, the emergency teams are working on… or the military is powerful… Bush opts to go with our. “Protect our citizens at home… We stand together to win the war against terrorism. We go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.” However, the bandwagon technique which Bush employs also has a problem at its core which must be addressed. Towards the end of the speech, he states that, “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” This effectively rules out any in-between ground. It is in essence, saying, you are either with us, or against us. Or as Bush most-likely intended, you are either with me, or against me. This is again, a further example of the techniques which Bush cunningly employs to boost his own position as well as fulfil the purposes of the address. To finish, he ends strong, by closing with the lines, “Thank you. Good night, and God bless America.” This is an example of the three effect where three balanced phrases or three alliterative and emotive words have a particularly dramatic effect. Popular examples in history, include Julius Caesar’s “I came, I saw, I conquered,” and Abraham Lincoln’s “Of

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