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Adrianna Duran
Gail Richard
Composition II 8:00
05 February 2016
Rhetorical Analysis: George W. Bush: 9/11 Address to the Nation
On September 11, 2001 the people of the United States suffered what it never could have
imagined, something they thought they would only witness in a movie of some sort; a terrorist
attack. A terroristic attack in which great significant buildings, which took weeks to build,
suffered destruction and came crashing down in seconds; an act in which thousands of innocent
lives were abruptly taken by the actions of other human beings. The terroristic groups
orchestrated a plan to attack the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia, and
the White House or the Capitol in Washington, D.C. (was not the case). Immediately following
the attack Ex- President George W. Bush spoke out briefly of the attacks while he was at Booker
Elementary. Later that evening from the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., Bush without a doubt
effectively addresses the nation in the Post 9/11 Speech. In his 9/11 Address to the Nation ExPresident George W. Bush begins by describing the emotional attack that had occurred early that
morning. He goes on to ensure the nation that justice will be served in honor of all those affected
by the tragedy and thanks everyone who courageously responded to the attack (CNN). Through
his use of the rhetorical appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos, Bush is able to give a clear and
effective speech to his audience, the people of America.
Logos is a rhetorical appeal where the use of logics, facts, and statistics or numbers is
used for the persuasion of an audience (Johnson 45). Bush did not use an effective broad range of
logos throughout his speech but in two instances he did. In the first stanza of the speech Bush

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describes the act that had occurred, ...airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge -- huge
structures collapsing (CNN) which can be considered a fact even if it had just occurred hours
before because it did indeed happen. Another example of logic is that action was indeed taken,
the United States did not remain paralyzed following the attack. They immediately went to work
by implementing ready to use plans in order to seek answers and gain justice for all the victims
involved and for the entire nation.
Ethos is a rhetorical appeal where the use of authority is used to gain credibility and trust
from the audience to persuade effectively (Johnson 46). Bush starts constructing his authority
right away once he begins his speech. From the start of his speech he never once looked away, he
kept a firm eye contact with his audience. He did the same in his tone and appearance, yes
somber did peek throughout but was shielded by the firmness and sternness he displayed for his
audience. From the beginning to the end of his speech, Bush strategically uses multiple times the
words: our, we and us to identify himself with the audience and gain trust. From there he built
upon his authority again in the third stanza, Immediately following the first attack, I
implemented our governments emergency response plans (CNN). He demonstrates his
authority here in this sentence because he says I, letting his audience know that he had the
power to take that action. In the fourth stanza Bush does it again, I have directed the full
resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to
bring them to justice (CNN). Then finally in the fifth stanza he mentions the members of
Congress and the world leaders and how they both demonstrated their support. Bush by simply
just mentioning them adds to his credibility because to be in contact with them within hours
shows the immense authority he holds with being the President of the United States.

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Pathos is a rhetorical appeal in which the use of emotions comes to play in order to evoke
a smoother persuasion of the audience (Johnson 48). Bush uses the emotional appeal in multiple
occasions throughout his speech, probably the most actually. He begins in the first stanza with,
The victims were secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms
and dads, friends and neighbors (CNN), causing a stirring of emotion for the audience because
his goal is to get the American people to feel identified with the victims of this tragedy and
realize that it was ordinary people that could have been them. Then he paints the picture of the
horrible act again in their minds which fills the audience with sadness and fear. He then
counteracts to fill them with hope and pride, in the second stanza when he describes the immense
foundation America has and no one will ever touch. He also mentions all the American people
who gave their help on impact to all those that needed it. In the third stanza Bush creates a stir
within his audience with the following, Our first priority is to and to take every precaution to
protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks (CNN), he is hinting that
more attacks are a possibility but reassures the nation safety. Bush then skips over to the sixth
stanza to continue tugging at the audience's emotions with the following, Tonight, I ask for your
prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered (CNN),
he uses the children who are affected by this horrible act to bring upon sadness and condolences
from his audience because no one should suffer from acts like these especially children. Then he
proceeds to gift his audience with comfort, And I pray they will be comforted in Psalm 23:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me
(CNN). This acts to give hope to the audience and some form of relief. Then he says, This is a
day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace
(CNN). This demonstrates the unity the United States can have in their moments of weakness,

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and serves to fill the audience with pride and strength. For the final stop of roller coaster
emotions Bush has created, he says, Thank you. Good night. And God bless America (CNN).
He gives long pauses throughout this statement just like on multiple occasions throughout the
entirety of his speech. These pauses serve to let the statements sink in and deliver calmness to the
nation.
Ex-President George W. Bush uses the rhetorical appeals: logos, ethos, and pathos to his
advantage but not all to their full potential. He uses the ethical and emotional appeal effectively
throughout but not the logical appeal. He clearly communicates to his audience that although the
United States has suffered a terroristic attack, they will not stand down. They will seek and bring
those responsible to justice.

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Works Cited
"CNN - Ex-President George W. Bush's Post 9/11 Speech." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 31 Jan.
2016.
Johnson-Sheehan, Richard, and Charles Paine. Argument Today with Readings. Pearson, 2015.
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