Today I will be discussing the appeals to rhetoric President Bush makes in his post 9/11 speech to the American public.  In the wake of the most deadly, horrific terrorist attack in American History, the American people were confused, distraught, and hopeless.  With his successful use of kairos, ethos, and pathos, President Bush is able to console the American public all while inspiring them with a passionate sense of nationalism.

The timing on President Bush’s speech could not have been more opportune and impactful.  America was at a new found low after watching four planes and all their passengers go down.  New York City residents watched in horror as the Twin Towers collapsed in heaps of rubble and smoke.  The videos of crashing planes and burning buildings being shown on the news were interrupted by President Bush.  He addressed the confused and hopeless citizens reassuring them that “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America”.  He explained to them how America would deal with the aftermath of the attacks and that the government would remain strong “without interruption”.  President Bush’s precise use of kairos allowed his speech to have the maximum amount of impact as the shaky American people were in desperate need of a strong, reassuring voice to help them rise from the ashes.

The American people responded to the words of President Bush so well because of his powerful ethos.  Having the title and position as President of the United States, George Bush already carried a strong credibility.  Throughout his speech, he further builds his ethos by using words such as our, we, and us.  In this sense, he has built two personas through ethos.  On one hand, he is the leader of his people and will remain strong to protect them, but on the other, he is just another American citizen who can relate to his people.  With these two images, he is successfully able to gain the trust of his audience so his words carry much more merit and impact.   He unites the American people as a country who must stay strong and undivided in the face of adversity.

The main rhetorical goal of President Bush’s speech is not necessarily one of persuasion, but more so one of inspiration.  Although he attempts to convince the American public to stay calm and trust their government, he also uses pathos to try and inspire them to unite as a country and remain strong under their flag.  President Bush begins his speech by stating that “[today] our way of life, our very freedom came under attack”.   He asks the American people for prayers and condolences and quotes a bible verse at the end of his speech.  His emotional words appeal to the hearts and feelings of the public.  This goal to inspire nationalism was very successful as after the 9/11 attacks, every house had a flag and the country reached a level of pride it had never seen before.