George W. Bush Speech to Congress

The first term of George W. Bush as the US president was defined by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Al-Qaeda members hijacked four US commercial jets, leading to an unexpected and sudden nature of the attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center and mass casualties, which shocked the Americans. Americans remained in constant fear and emotions ran high in the country. Therefore, when George W. Bush addressed the nation, he answered some questions and squashed fears by instilling a sense of stability and pride in the American people. President George W. Bush in his speech outlined the manner in which America would respond to the attacks and captured the mood of Americans. The speech utilized some techniques, both implicit and explicit, which neutralized public fears and mobilized the Americans into collective action. The speech included the use of antitheses and famous lines: "Any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism," he said, "will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime." This paper will con analyze the speech and consider the antecedents to the speech and its purpose.

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Content

President Bush speech was full of emotions because he wanted people to gain from his speech. The major emphasis was to assure Americans that the nation is stronger together than the terrorists who attacked the country. We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground. We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers, working past exhaustion. We have seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, and the giving of blood, the saying of prayers in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people, who have made the grief of strangers their own. The president greatly used this emphasis by putting ideas together to achieve a contrasting effect. He repeats several time how American people responded to the attack to show their togetherness and loyalty to the nation. Another example is when the president said My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of our Unionand it is strong. This showed that it was important to repeat how everything is under control than just saying it once to depict its importance in the speech. Thus, the president showed the emotion and impact in his words to portray how America was impacted by the terrorist attacks, however, the country came together to fight back. He gives people hope and courage by saying that there is nothing to worry about since the government is not panicking and Americans need not panic either. The logic he uses was, therefore, effective as he lay the groundwork for the nation response to the threat. The president asked American people to accept their democratic freedom limits to defeat terrorists motivated by a ridiculous hate for the very freedoms. America needed to be secure, meaning declaring war against their enemy if freedom were to triumph.

Genre /Form

President Bush speech started out with a roller coaster of emotions by saying, Mr. Speaker, Mr. President pro tempore, Members of Congress, and fellow Americans: In the normal course of events, Presidents come to this chamber to report on the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed. It has already been delivered by the American people. This connects the overwhelming feeling of despair that the people in America were feeling at the moment. After the introduction to his speech, what comes in the middle, the president changes the mood to strong from sorrow, the motion the nation gain from the speech. We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground. We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers, working past exhaustion. We have seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers. The quote shows that Americans are more powerful and will not give up. He promises his people that he can and will something on the attack. He shows Americans that all is under control and his government understands what is taking place and how to handle it. He assures the nation that everything is under control, and there is no cause for alarm. The president said, Tonight we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. The logic he uses was sufficient as he lay the groundwork for the nation response to the threat. The information that comes last is the measures the country has taken to combat terrorism. President Bush announced the creation of the Office of Homeland Security. This new Cabinet-level organization would coordinate all domestic counter-terrorism efforts and would be led by Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge. The president also argued that law enforcement tools that are stronger and instrumental in finding terrorists in the US. The president assured the citizens that the measures were essential to winning the difficult and long struggle that lay ahead. The president, therefore, drew the distinction between the short term and long term sacrifices. He assured the nation that the sacrifices would just be temporary; he envisioned a time when life will return t to normal.

Audience

The intended audience were the American citizens, who cared more about the subject because they remained in constant fear. Therefore, when the president addressed the nation, he answered some questions and squashed fears by instilling a sense of stability and pride in the American people. The writer only addresses one group of readers, the American people. This was accomplished by covering the latest developments in the news and magazines.

Stance/Tone

The stance of the writer was positive by committing the Americans to unilateral support for an imminent war. Evidence for this is when the president demanded that the Taliban turn over all al-Qaeda leaders to the United States and that they shut down terrorist training camps within their borders. Any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism," he said, "Will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime." At the beginning of the speech, the president used a solemn tone Mr. Speaker, Mr. President pro tempore, Members of Congress, and fellow Americans: In the normal course of events, Presidents come to this chamber to report on the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed. It has already been delivered by the American people. Later in the speech, the President tone became angry and extremely upset. Tonight we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has turned to anger, and anger to resolution. He called the terrorists "traitors to their faith" and their "pretenses to piety" covered the terrorists' murderous ideology. The author was trying to make the nation stronger together than the terrorists who attacked the country by uniting Americans.

Audience

The writer purpose was to commit the Americans to unilateral support for an imminent war. "We are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. The writer did this to showing the nation that everything is under control, and there is no cause for alarm. He encouraged the people and gave them a sense of unity by saying that the nation was stronger together than the terrorists who attacked them. My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of our Unionand it is strong.

Conclusion

The terrorist attack was brutal and awakened Americans and the world as a whole, a day that will never be forgotten in American history. President Gorge Bush was able to communicate and influence the political platform, which brought the nation together and dedicated the Americans and Congress to conform to his will. To conform meant you are a freedom fighter or a genuine patriot, and those who did not say that they were pro-terrorists. President Bushs speech was thus a classic speech, one that consolidated a nation and alienated the people who objected its underline assertions. The speech marked how the US today relates to its domestic relations and international neighbors.

Work Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bush, Gorge W. Transcript of President Bush's address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday night, September 20, 2001. Thursday, September 2001. 22 September 2016.