Osama Bin Laden Speech Analysis

In one of President Barack Obama’s speech, addressing to the American people, he announced the death of a man who had affected the people of the United States, Osama bin Laden. He speaks of the 11th day in September of 2001, that has become a significant day in the lives of the American people. The loss of life that many families have suffered from, caused by a one man. He addresses the events that occurred on that day and the effect it had on us as a nation. President Obama addresses the operation that the United States has initiated against a compound in Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden was killed and his body taken into custody (Clark 43). In the speech, President Obama is able to appeal emotionally, create a sense of unity, and show …show more content…
The president is able to able to appeal emotionally to the American people. In the opening of the speech, the mention of the “terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children” quickly arouses the emotions that many experienced that September day in 2001. Emotions such as mourning and sadness. “Children…forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who never know the feeling of their child’s embrace” (Clark 41-42). By these three sentences it appeals to the peoples’ emotions of mourning and sadness, that many people experienced when the tragic events of 9/11 occurred and even still feel now as they think about the lives that were lost. The word choice in the second paragraph of the speech is able to evoke these same emotions also. For example, “that bright September day was darkened…” can trigger a sense of sadness in American people, therefore reminding us of that day (Clark 41). The contrast between the two words “bright” and “darkened” reflects the day of September 11th, such as a feeling of happiness suddenly shifting to sadness or