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Mitch Thompson
Professor Bevill
English 1302-02
3 October 2015
Bush Feels for 9/11 Victims
Former President George W. Bush, address to a joint session of Congress on the 11
September 2001 attacks, talks about what the 9/11 attacks caused and the United States wanting
to start war. Bushs purpose to writing this speech is that he wants to address the joint session of
congress on the recent 9/11 attacks. Bushs speech was effective because of how he touched
everybodys heart with all of the emotional appeals he used. He has an emotional tone to try and
connect with the audience of the Speaker, President Pro tempore, member of Congress and
fellow Americans.
In George W. Bushs speech about 9/11, he tries to show that he is a trustworthy
character. He tries and shows credibility throughout his whole speech. The things that make him
trustworthy are not only that he is the President of the United States so he has to have some type
of trustworthiness but he also uses facts about the United States. One fact that makes him
trustworthy is the part where he lists what type of freedoms the United States have. They hate
our freedoms our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and
assemble and disagree with each other (3). Also in his speech, he includes other people as
opposed to making the only source of the speech. He uses the Governor George Pataki and
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to show that he is actually trying to rebuild New York back into the city
they were before the attack. Tonight we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary
spirit of all New Yorkers: Governor George Pataki, and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (5). Those are

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a couple of things that make George W. Bushs speech trustworthy.
There is a lot of emotions throught Bushs speech. Mostly the entire speech is emotional.
The style of his speech is sincere which is using emotions. He tries to use the emotions to get all
of the American citizens and the audience to persuade them to do what he is telling everyone to
do. He is using emotions because of what had just happened in 9/11. A lot of people losing
friends and family members in a tragic accident that shook the whole United States. First way
how he shows emotions in his speech is by telling the audience that enemies will suffer one way
or another. whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will
be done (1). This speech would not be as persuasive if he did not use so many emotions. If he
had done just a regular speech and not touched the audience with emotions then he would not
have gotten so many people to listen to him in the first place. He even uses emotions when he is
talking about what other countries have done hearing what had happened to the United States.
American will never forget the sounds of our National Anthem playing at Buckingham Palace,
on the streets of Paris, and at Berlins Brandenburg Gate (1). Bush also uses the emotions of
questioning. Americans are asking, why do they hate us? (3). IN his speech, he talks about
how people organizations are already helping out, raising money, and without them we would be
as strong as we are right now. Bush is saying without them, we would not have the strength to
get through such a tragic like this. The United States is grateful that many nations and many
international organizations have already responded with sympathy and with support (4). He
also mentions some emothions by telling the citizens of America that they are working hard and
if they were not working as hard as they are then we would not be as successful with getting our
country back to they way it needs to be. Without all these hard working Americans, this country
would not be the same. America is successful because of the hard work, and creativity, and

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enterprise of our people (5). The last way he uses emotions to try and connect with the audience
better is by showing a visual of something of a police officer who lost his life trying to save
others during this tragedy. And I will carry this: It is the police shield of a man named George
Howard who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others (6). Most of Bushs speech
was about emotions to try and connect to the audience a little bit better.
Bush in his speech did not use a lot of logic. It was hard to find logical appeals going
through his speech because it was such an emotional based speech so he could connect with the
audience right after this horrific tragedy. The only place where he tries to use logic and not
emotions is when he talks about the United States coming together to improve a lot of different
things and try to prevent this tragedy from happening again. We will come together to improve
air safety, to dramatically expand the number of air marshals on domestic flights, and take new
measures to prevent hijacking (5). That was the only place that bush used logic in his speech.
The writer establishes emotions to try and connect with the audience and persuade them
to do what he wants them to do. The writer implies a lot of emotional appeals throughout the
paper which made it so effective but also uses some ethical and logical appeals to make it more
persuasive.

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Bush, George. George W. Bush: Address to a Joint Session of Congress on the 9/11 Attacks.
New York. 20 Sept. 2001. PDF file.