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From Sorrow to Strength: 
A Rhetorical Analysis of George W. Bush’s 9/11 Address to the Nation

Matthew Saporito

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About the Writing

This essay explores the power of rhetoric in response to tragedy, specifically analyzing George W. Bush's 9/11 Address to the Nation as a poignant example of using language to evoke sorrow, strength, and resilience in the face of immense adversity. By delving into Bush's strategic use of pathos and ethos, the essay showcases how effective communication can shape public perception and inspire unity during times of crisis. Through a detailed examination of the speech's emotive language and persuasive techniques, the essay highlights the transformative impact that well-crafted rhetoric can have on a nation's collective mindset in moments of profound sorrow.

The Writing

From Sorrow to Strength:  A Rhetorical Analysis of George W. Bush’s 9/11 Address to the NationMatthew Saporito
00:00 / 13:05

Matthew Saporito

Ms. Costa

Power of Words

11/23



From Sorrow to Strength: 

A Rhetorical Analysis of George W. Bush's 9/11 Address to the Nation


Since Ancient Greece, rhetoric has stood the test of time, used through thousands of arguments, essays, and, in this case, speeches. Even more specific to this essay, rhetoric has been used extensively to respond to tragedy. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush stood vulnerable before his terrified country with a speech that would be remembered for years to come. The speech that George Bush delivered to the nation was a short but sweet address meant to inform the country about the weight of the situation and instill a sense of sadness, strength, and resilience into the shaken American population. The 9/11 attacks were a shock to the country that would change the United States and the world forever; at the time, people were scared and confused, yet President Bush excelled in acting as a true leader delivering this speech. In his 9/11 Address to the Nation, George W. Bush used pathos and ethos to highlight the event's gravity and evoke sorrow to implant the vision of revival and pride in a nation faced with an enormous amount of adversity.


In Bush's powerful address to the nation, he successfully appealed to pathos to accentuate awareness of the event while provoking emotions of sorrow and grief in the country. Bush entered his speech knowing that 9/11 had shaken his country and his civilians to the core. Rather than just laying out the specific details of the event, Bush decided to open the speech with evident examples of pathos to grab the attention of every American; he began, "Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or their offices: secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror". Bush immediately highlighted the danger provoked toward one of the most important ideals of the United States, freedom. He chose to use words such as "deadly terrorist acts" and "freedom came under attack" to nearly scare the American population into realizing that their entire approach to life was under attack.

Furthermore, after encapsulating the attention of his audience, Bush decided to list the victims of the heinous crime. He started with a general and obvious list of the victims, such as people in the actual airplanes of the attack and the people in the offices of the World Trade Center. He then continued to name these same people, yet in a different way, adding in the fact that these innocent victims were members of beloved families, flourishing friendships, and neighborhoods that would never see them again. By adding these details, Bush was trying to push the audience to think of the tragedy of losing a close one and to provoke sadness, grief, and empathy within the American population. In addition, Bush's repetitive syntax was also intentional. The repetition of the word "and" between similar terms, such as "moms and dads" and "friends and neighbors," asserted a powerful yet plaintive tone that further delivered his point.

Additionally, Bush's tone of voice and slow cadence of the speech further enhanced a feeling of desolation when viewing it. By hooking the audience with fear and sorrow, Bush brought awareness to the situation. By starting his speech with appeals to pathos, he greatly influenced the country to truly feel the effect of the crime and understand its significance; he did the same to end it. In the second to last paragraph of his speech, Bush spoke, "Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us". Towards the end of his speech, Bush implanted the vision that the victims of the crime were no different than the audience watching in the comfort of their own home. Bush mentioned the "children whose worlds have been shattered" to drive the emotions of those watching; he wanted people to feel the sorrow and devastation of those affected to generate more sympathy and awareness around the event. Bush wanted his audience to realize that these actions, fraught with evil, have decimated the worlds of others. By crafting a speech that portrayed pathos through carefully placed details and syntax and a mournful tone, Bush left an everlasting impression on the American population and generated awareness of the tragic event. 


While his speech was sometimes a bit melancholic, Bush also used pathos to fill the country with emotions of strength and resilience. After the attack, the government was anxious, and they needed a sense of hope and a drive to initiate recovery in what seemed like an irreparable nation. Bush intentionally chose first to use pathos in a way to trigger fear and sadness so he could follow with emotions of strength to persuade an already vulnerable audience. Succeeding his first two sorrowful paragraphs, Bush implemented this strength: "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundation of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve". Bush's powerful metaphors turned the idea of the address from mournful to prideful; his comparison of America to the foundation of a building engaged the idea that nothing could ever destroy American values, such as freedom. He then compared the country to steel to show how strong America was and needed to be during this time. These two powerful metaphors successfully instilled hope into his audience by showing them the strength and desire to push forward that America contained, underlining the muscle of the United States. In the next paragraph, Bush continued this idea: "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". Bush metaphorically compared America to a bright beacon that shined views of freedom and opportunity onto its citizens to show that nothing would ever destroy those ideals of America. He used the comparison of a "beacon" to suggest that America was a source of light, inspiration, and hope. Through this metaphor, Bush was emphasizing that America would forever continue to maintain the ideal of freedom no matter what it goes through; he highlights this idea when he says, "No one will keep that light from shining." Within this section of his speech, through pathos and metaphors, Bush successfully delivered his argument and a sense of vigor to the American population, which engendered an idea that terrorism can not win in the face of American fortitude.


Along with his impressive implementation of persuasive pathos, Bush fortified the credibility of himself and his nation, further implanting a feeling of renewal and strength in his audience through appeals to ethos. Following the attacks, Bush needed to act as a strong leader to a crumbling nation, and so he did. Throughout his speech, Bush implanted his leadership into the syntax by speaking as the voice of a country. For example, Bush rarely used the word "I" but instead used collective pronouns. Examples occur throughout the speech: "our fellow citizens," "our very freedom," "filled us with disbelief," and "our country." Bush referred to "us" and "our" to show his leadership, develop a connection with his nation, and gain their trust. Bush further enforced ethos into his speech by assuring the audience, as President, of their safety to build hope and credibility. Bush accomplished this by affirming the audience that he had taken proper measures regarding the incident: "Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it's prepared". Bush informed the audience that the government immediately acted upon the incident without hesitation, implying that the country was safe.

Additionally, Bush added that their military was one with power, which further implied the safety of America.

Furthermore, Bush decided to show the strength of his country even more by displaying the everlasting sturdiness of the economy even after an event such as 9/11: "The functions of our government continue without interruption. … Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business, as well". Bush informed the audience that the American economy would continue to run smoothly regardless of any event, which further helped build trustworthiness towards the nation. Towards the end of his speech, Bush once again successfully implemented ethos to make the nation's credibility when he said, "America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time." Bush's suggestion that his country could deal with the event further built trust between the audience and the nation, enforcing credibility. Within his speech, Bush successfully appealed to ethos to build the confidence of his audience, gain credibility for himself and his country, and give a feeling of hope and safety to the American population.


Through a beautifully crafted speech, President George W. Bush comforted a scared country with rhetorical appeals to pathos and ethos. Through pathos, Bush brought out fear and sadness within his audience to grab their attention. After he captured the audience's attention, Bush decided to use pathos again, yet in a way that brought emotions of hope and resilience to his audience. Through a series of metaphors, Bush was able to highlight the strength of America and its willingness to push forward, which was intentionally done to persuade the audience to believe that there was hope after such an event that left the country in shambles. Bush further implanted visions of hope into his country by using ethos to strengthen both his credibility and the nation's credibility as well. President Bush's exceptional skill of persuasion proved persistent when used within his 9/11 address; through an admirable art form created by the Ancient Greeks, one man could move an audience upwards of 280 million. 

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