ENGLISH CIA (CRITICAL

ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF

RHETORICS IN A LITERARY
PIECE) - GEORGE BUSH’S
ADDRESS TO THE NATION (9/11)

INTRODUCTION
Ethos, logos, and pathos are important components of all writing, whether we
are aware of them or not. By learning to recognise the presence of these
rhetorical devices in the writings of others and our own, we can create texts that
appeal to readers on many different levels.
As per the teachings of Aristotle, “A speaker’s ability to persuade an audience is
based on how well the speaker appeals to that audience in three different arras –
logos, ethos, and pathos.” All three of these appeals together form, what
rhetoricians call – The Rhetorical triangle.
For the identification and better understanding of these rhetorical components in
a literary piece, I have chosen President George Bush’s address to the nation
following the 9/11 terror attacks on the twin towers in New York, America.
The speech seemed very apt to me for this task, as we can easily identify and
understand the basic rhetorical devices and their way of usage in the text.
Further, I feel that this address meant a lot to the people and connected them at
a large scale, considering it was not only American nationals, but people all
over the world who felt the impact of the incidents of that day.
As mentioned at the very beginning, we are going to be focusing on the use of
rhetorics in respect of the rhetorical triangle which namely includes – ethos,
logos, and pathos.
Ethos revolves around the speaker and appeals to his/her status or authority,
thus making the audience more likely to trust them by highlighting a sense of
credibility towards them.
The logos can be better highlighted in the actual text of the speech, and it
appeals to the audience’s reason by building up logical arguments.
The pathos often resonate with the audience and are all about how it appeals to
the emotions of the audience. It highlights the feelings that are kindled or
rekindled in the hearts of the audience.

ETHOS
In the given speech or address we can see that the person, that is George Bush,
is actually the president of the USA. This position alone provides him an
authority, and hence gives some credibility to his words. We can further notice
at many instances during his speech, the president uses active voice, for
example, in the sentence – “Immediately following the first attack, I
implemented our government's emergency response plans.” – He claims
responsibility for actions to protect the nation. He further tries to reassure the
people and his statements inspire the audience to trust the president as he takes
action. The usage of pronouns in the speech has been done in a manner that
makes it very clear that the president claims full responsibility for actions being
done for the nation’s safety, and the sense of authority is reinforced each time
the president uses the word – “I”.

LOGOS
This component can be observed in the text of the speech. Logos appeals to the
logic, and statements where the president mentions about the actions being
taken for the safety of the people and of the nation, also the parts where the
president vividly and accurately describes the incident itself; appeal to the logic
of the audience by pushing them to think about the situation. The people are
pushed to think about the situation they are in as a whole nation and also about
what kinds of plans and framework have been and are being laid down in order
to cope from the incidents that have just shook the world. The part where the
president vividly and clearly mentions the intensity and gravity of the attacks
also insists the audience to approach the situation with a strong heart and
rational minds in order to be able to survive the devastation.
The use of many literary devices can be seen as well. For example – Metaphor -
the presidents says that their nation was attacked because they are the brightest
beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world, and that no one will keep that
light for shining. Here he compares America to a beacon.
PATHOS
Pathos is the part where an appeal is made to the emotions of the audience. The
speech, when looked at as a whole, basically is an emotional address towards
the people. The president can be seen using the word “our” throughout the
speech. This appeals to shared interests and also reflects a feeling of
compassion and oneness with the people. He makes an emotional appeal and
urges the people to unite and stand against the common enemy. The president
also mentions with much detail and deliberation, how the tragedy has affected
people from all walks of life. He mentions this in much detail by highlighting
how people from different occupational backgrounds like secretaries, business
men and women etc; he even connects to the sentiments of the common people
by specifically mentioning moms and dads etc. This further pulls a string in the
hearts of all the people by making them able to resonate with the words of the
president.
He urges the people to come together and be there for one another in these
difficult times. Here he again appeals to their emotions and these words ignite in
the hearts of the people, a rekindled sense of hope and power.

CONCLUSION
After having done a critical analysis of the literary piece of the president’s
address to the nation after a tragic incident, I find myself able to have a better
understanding of the concept of rhetorics and how they can be used to enhance
and also better express ones thoughts. The subtle use of many literary devices in
the above speech/address also showcases how simple words can move the
masses and bring about a wave of change, or in the above context, bring about a
sense of unity among the people and give them strength in hard times. Thus I
conclude by saying that the speech presented above provides us with an
opportunity to understand well, the usage of rhetorical devices and further
develop our own way of expressing to be that which is more refined and
exemplary.