On September 11, 2001, the U.S. was impacted by a series of deadly terrorist attacks. That night, George W. Bush, the current president, addressed the people of America with a powerful speech, both unifying and empowering Americans, and warning terrorists. While he wasn’t a particularly popular politician prior to delivering his 9/11 speech, Bush gained a monumental number of followers afterwards. This speech, and the events leading up to it, was the perfect moment for Bush to step in and be there for Americans, comforting them and reassuring them of the country’s strength. By employing the use of repetition and syntactic devices, abstract language, figurative language, and inclusive language, Bush unites Americans, emphasises the evil of the terrorists, and warns the terrorists that all of America stands against them.
By using a collection of repetition devices, Bush adds intensity to certain parts his speech, giving it a more powerful meaning, and …show more content…
The best example of this would be when he says “Today, our nation saw evil -- the very worst of human nature -- and we responded with the best of America.” Basically, Bush is saying that, while we were attacked by evil forces, we responded with the best of ourselves. By using the words “evil”, “worst”, and “best”, Bush gives the audience obvious opposites, which contributes to the “us versus them” element in the speech. This dynamic does two things. It not only builds up the Americans, comforting and strengthening them, but it also warns the terrorists that all of America stands against them.
Another example of Bush’s expert inclusion of abstract language is when he says “Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts.” Continuing with the opposites dynamic in the speech, Bush uses the word “freedom” to highlight the best of
By using a collection of repetition devices, Bush adds intensity to certain parts his speech, giving it a more powerful meaning, and …show more content…
The best example of this would be when he says “Today, our nation saw evil -- the very worst of human nature -- and we responded with the best of America.” Basically, Bush is saying that, while we were attacked by evil forces, we responded with the best of ourselves. By using the words “evil”, “worst”, and “best”, Bush gives the audience obvious opposites, which contributes to the “us versus them” element in the speech. This dynamic does two things. It not only builds up the Americans, comforting and strengthening them, but it also warns the terrorists that all of America stands against them.
Another example of Bush’s expert inclusion of abstract language is when he says “Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts.” Continuing with the opposites dynamic in the speech, Bush uses the word “freedom” to highlight the best of