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Dan Wendlandt
Rhetoric of War
6/2/02
Essay #2 rewrite
George Bush’s Ground Zero Logic
Visiting Ground Zero for the first time only two days after the terrorist attack on the WorldTradeCenter towers, President George Bush stands at the center of a throng of rescue workers, megaphone in hand, to impart a few words to an anxious audience. Speaking from atop a crushed fire-truck amid the building’s rubble, Bush begins with words of compassion and gratitude for the surrounding rescue workers. Yet amid the destruction and sorrow, Bush saw an opportunity to send a message of hope to the people of New York Cityand the nation as a whole. Like a general visiting troops after a devastating battle, Bush’s main goal is to raise the morale of the workers, and indirectly the millions viewing taped footage,by assuring them of America’s solid moral character in the face of the “evil terrorists.” In this emotionally charged atmosphere directly following September 11th, the success of Bush’s delivery rests almost entirely on emotional and moral appeals made through hiswords and appearances. By specifically targeting his audience and effectively using visual and oral rhetoric, George Bush succeeds in assertingAmerica’s moral superiority to convince those at Ground Zero and across the nation that America will remain strong in the face of any terrorist threat.
The crowd’s acceptance of Bush’s speech relies heavily on his ability to establish a sincere and credible relationship with his audience. One obvious source of ethos is his prominent status as President in the patriotic days following the attacks. After 9-11 Bush shed the image as the leader who “cheated” his way into the oval office, overnight joining the ranks of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the minds of many Americans. As a result, he had no need to establish his credibility through official statements about the Presidency or with an impressive entourage of American flags and Secret Service agents. In the direct aftermath of September 11th, President Bush represents a potent source of ethical and emotional appeal in America.
In fact, the patriotic aura of credibility surrounding Bush directly after the attacks allows him to make a different type of appeal. On his visit to Ground Zero, Bush attempts to identifyhimself with the audience not as the President, but as a common American. The visual rhetoricdepicting a down-to-earth President Bush is striking. Replacingthe Presidential navy sport coat and patriotic tie, Bush wears an everyday brown jacket, partially unzipped to expose a casual shirt beneath. He stands on a pile of rubble with the nearest onlookers only a few feet away and no the secret service agents in sight. Like a protest leader, the President grasps a megaphone and wrapshis arm around a firefighter in a sign of solidarity. Not only does the visual rhetoric distance Bush from the classic image of a politician, but the plain clothing gives him the appearance of being on the front lines, doing his part to get American back on its feet.
The tone and diction Bush utilizes also indicates his wish to approach the rescue workers on a person basis. The President opens with the words: “I want you all to know…” The use of the personal pronouns “I” and “you” resembles the diction a personal conversation rather than that of a political statement. He also uses “we” and “our” to strengthen the bond between himself and those listening. The success of this strategy is immediately evident in the crowd’s response. One rescue worker yelled out, “Go get’em George!” showing that the rescue workers identified with the President well enough to use his first name. Beyondeffective word choice, Bush’s decision to stand with his arm on the shoulder of a rank-and-file firefighter gave his message a personal spin. Every worker at the site, and millions of American’s across the country, could image themselves as the “ordinary American” at the side of the nation’s Commander and Chief. Establishing a personal connection to those watching is a key means by which Bush establishes the grounds of his ethical appeal.
The purpose of Bush’s speech is both to mourn the lives lost on September 11th and even more importantly, toencourage the nation by reassuringthem of the moral virtue possessed by the United States in its conflict against “evil”. To achieve this objective, President Bush uses a strong ethical and religious tone. The opening statement shows the moral tone used by Bush:
“I want you all to know, that America today is on bended knee in prayer for the people whose lives were lost here, for the workers who work here, for the families who mourn. This nation stands with the good people of New York City, and New Jersey, and Connecticut as we mourn the loss of thousands of our citizens.”
By stating that “America is on bended knee in prayer…” Bush implies a high degree of moral character in all Americans. The religious connotations of this line along with his closing statement of “God bless America!” show an attempt to portray America as the correct and morally superior side in the “War on Terror.” Specifically addressing those people in the crowd by naming the three states most directly impacted by the WTC attack, Bush refers to those them as “good people”,implying a moral virtue in those suffering from the attack. Bush’s statements declaring America’s moral superiorityalso advance the unstated notion that those who attacked these “good people” must in turn be evil. This depiction of a moral battle between good and evil appeals to the emotions of the crowd and advances a theme of American superiority seen throughout Bush’s speech.
Another way Bush promotes the greatness of America is by praising the rescuerswho stand before him for their hard work and dedication. He expresses gratitude to the workers both in the opening and again in the closing statement, stating: “Thank you for your hard work, thank you for making our nation proud…” Bush compliments the work ethic of the men and woman at Ground Zero and uses this fact to strengthen his assertion that American is a land of great moral character. The use of this argument relies heavily on an appeal to the workers’ own sense of pride, well also hearkening back to the American tradition of holding hard work in the highest regard. Yet again, Bush proves to be a speaker successfully tailoring his words for the maximum possible impact on those listening. In this setting, Bush’s praise for the audience is a simple yet effective pathos appeal.
Bush employs another simple emotional appeal by recalling the devastating death toll from the attacks. He speaks of “the loss of thousands of our citizens” and mentionsAmerica’s mourning for the great loss of life. By evoking the memory of those who died, many of whom had been friends, co-workers or even family members of those in the immediate audience, Bush raises the emotional interest of the crowd. By reminding the audience of those who died, Bush indirectly returns to the notion of a virtuous American under attackfrom evil terrorists.
Yet beyond depicting America as a virtuous nation under attack, the President also offers strong words of encouragement to the tired rescuers. Building on his close connection to the crowd and the high emotional level of the audience, President Bush ventures away from the speech’s expected courseto speak freely with the crowd. When a distanced crowd member calls out: “George, we can’t hear you!” Bush smiles and responds loudly: “I can hear you! I can hear you, the rest of the world can hear you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!” In response to Bush’s extemporaneous pep-talk, the audience erupts in a tumult of cheering. Showing strong “crowd sense”, Bush pauses long enough for the audience to begin chanting “USA, USA…”in a moment of patriotic fervor. The President’switty and spontaneousstatement proves powerful for several reasons. First, its impromptu nature makes it both sincere and personal. Secondly, it builds on a theme common to this speech and much of Bush’s post 9-11 rhetoric: the assertion that good Americans will triumph over evil terrorists. Finally, the cadence and energy of his words shoots the message directly to the hearts of those listening and promises hope despite the dire situation. Surveying the crowd, Bush understands that this is a group looking for an excuse to cheer and reason to believe in a better tomorrow. His ability to capitalize on thishighly emotional moment shows a keen understanding of audience.
In another example of Bush’s acute awareness of the audience’s condition, the President’s diction is highly euphemistic. Trying to provide encouragement and confidence to the shell-shocked and tired rescue, he consciously avoidsdescribing the high level of destruction orthe threat of another attack. As a speaker, Bush realizes that his audience had already facedtoo muchfear and destruction and his diction reflectsan understanding of their fragile emotional state. For example,avoids the word “death” by instead relyingtwice on the euphemism of a “lost life”. Later, instead of using clearterms such as “terrorists” or “bombing” he refers to the attackers as “the people who knocked these buildings down.” By avoiding words thatelicit negative emotions, Bush keeps the audience from straying away from his encouraging and hope filled message.
Viewed with both physical and chronological distance, Bush’s speech may appear rhetorically simple and unconvincing. Yet the tremendous response by the crowd on September 13th shows Bush’s ability to use knowledge of the audience and context to deliver an effective message. Heutilizes a solid understanding of the audience to forge a tie between himself and the rescue workers and he invokes ethical and emotional appeals to create an audience more open to his message. The President’s intelligent use of concise rhetoric succeeds in convincing the audience ofAmerica’s moral virtue and providessorely needed encouragement. By constantly remaining mindful of his audience, President Bush offers a vision of patriotism and hope not only to the beleaguered group of rescue workers directly before him, but to an entire nation still struggling to cope with the devastation following September 11th.