The Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 and President Bush's Response to the World

           

      The events that took place on September 11, 2011 have shaped the way in which many view terrorism today. I am sure everyone knows what happened on that fateful day. However, if you are not aware, on that day the World Trade Center and Pentagon were both struck by hi jacked airliners in an event where many innocent Americans lost their lives. When the nation experiences a terrorist attack of this magnitude, the president must address the incident and somehow reassure American safety and put together a plan to stop similar events from reoccurring. Such a speech was delivered by George W. Bush on September 20, 2011 when he presented his plan to combat the forces of terrorism in his " Address to the Joint Session of the 107th Congress .”  The goal of this speech was to let Americans know they are safe and that the people who orchestrated the event would be brought to justice. President Bush brings credibility early in his speech by citing concrete numbers on how many had been lost and letting the world know that the casualties were not only limited to American citizens. In the onset of his speech, Bush makes an emotional appeal to the audience by introducing the wife of Todd Beamer (a man who died while trying to stop a hijacker) By doing this he stirs the emotions of the audience and leads people to feel empathy which unites them against a common enemy. Throughout Bush’s speech, he dehumanizes terrorists and labels them solely as murderers in order to provide logic for engaging in a war against them. Bush once again builds credibility for himself when he delivers an ultimatum to the Taliban stating that they must hand over the terrorists or share in their fate. This firm and unyielding stance by President Bush showed his power, hence building credibility. The style of this speech was serious and emotional. Throughout President Bush’s  address, he used emotionally charged words in order to stir emotion with the audience and pushed them to unify against the terrorist threat. By looking at the powerful language of this speech, one can better understand the President’s attempt to unify society against a common enemy. The rhetoric used in this speech is still in use when addressing terrorism today. If you would like to view this speech for yourself (Which I strongly recommend) it can be found at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wPuY5hI96U