Families all across America huddled together in fear of the next attack that could shatter their whole world in an instant. This is how the American people felt directly after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the crash landing in Pennsylvania. Americans needed to hear from their leader; they needed reassurance that the country would be able to pick up the pieces, and they needed to know how the nation and the rest of the world would react to such an attack in the coming months. When President George W. Bush addressed the nation and the world, his words needed to carry weight, and he needed to show that The United States was unbowed in the face of terrorism. During his Address to a Joint Session of Congress on September 20, 2001, President Bush invoked feelings of strength and unity, aiding in his quest to calm the fears of Americans; and rally them around his declaration of war. President Bush calms the fears of Americans while persuading his audience to support his call for war, by creating a strong sense of unity throughout his speech. The president begins his speech by declaring that the state of the Union address was already delivered, by the American people. “My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of our Union—and it is strong,” the president declares. By including himself as a citizen of America, he provides a sense that he is trustworthy while showing that America is a unified front. The president uses this sense of trust to calm Americans and assure them that they will be successful in their pursuit of justice. In the fourth paragraph, President Bush reminds his audience that America has faced many attacks in the past, and come out victorious. “Americans have known wars—but for the past 136 years, they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in 1941,” he says referring to Pearl Harbor. In the mentioning of Pearl Harbor, the president reminds the world that America has seen a similar attack on their soil, and when Americans came together for the cause, the perpetrators paid dearly for it. In calming and gaining the trust of the American people, President Bush is better able to persuade citizens to follow through with his call for action. The president continues to stress unity throughout his speech, to garner support for his declaration of war. …show more content…
The speech contains an overwhelming use of the words we, our, us, and them, creating a sense of solidarity. “Our grief has turned to anger, and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.” In this statement the president includes his entire audience, creating a sense of responsibility among them, for what comes next. He proclaims that the attack was against all of America, and in many ways the entire world, therefore, the world must stand together against this threat. “This is the world’s fight. This is a civilization’s fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom,” the president explains. In this declaration, the president speaks to countries around the world and lets them know that he expects their support in handling these attacks. He continues on to say, “Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” While the president directed this statement at other countries around the world, it was also meant for Americans at home. If you do not support the president 's declaration of war, you are turning your back on America, and fighting for the terrorists. It is clear that if someone is unwilling to support America in this fight, they will be facing the full strength of America’s vengeance. By reminding Americans of their strength, the president provides direction to the American people and gathers their support for the long and difficult war ahead. The president begins his speech by thanking people who have shown great courage and strength during such a difficult time. “We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground—passengers like an exceptional man named Todd Beamer.”