USE OF DELIBERATIVE AND EPIDEICTIC RHETORIC IN CRISIS RHETORIC In his article, Bonnie J Dow does well to describe the role of deliberative and epideictic rhetoric in speeches delivered by presidents (President Reagan in his case). According to Dow, the two types of rhetoric are dependent on the situation or type of crisis which is usually determined by what or who causes it- “In this essay I attempt to describe the different functions performed by instances of crisis rhetoric that are products of different situations.” While Dow’s article holds water for most of the speeches delivered through time, for this concept, I believe that in a crisis speech, both epideictic and deliberative rhetoric can be used in such a manner that they complement each other to deliver an effective speech at a troubling time. As such, this short article Presidents George Bush’s address to a joint session of congress on the 9/11 attacks that left Americans terrified to the marrow sparking a crisis. Dow explains that epideictic rhetoric is majorly applicable in a speech that seeks to bring calm and assurance to the audience after a crisis-creating situation. He further explains that deliberative …show more content…
The nation is in a state of unrest with the affected people making effort to either save their lives or those of their loved ones. The tension is gripping all across the nation as people fear for their safety with questions racing through everyone’s brain. All this warrants a crisis type of attention and response. By giving the speech, President Bush, leader of the free world, and a super power at that, an enemy to the nation will be named. Someone will have to be held accountable and brought to justice. This leads to some type of crisis that needs to be addressed. Epideictic and deliberative rhetoric in a crisis rhetoric have to play the role of appealing to the audience that even in the crisis things are okay. For the case before us,
On September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush gave a speech that instilled hope and redemption in the hearts of the American people. Using ethos and pathos, he delivered words of encouragement after a terrible tragedy. The usage of ethos is blaringly obvious; as the President of the United States of America, Bush is already in a position of power. He speaks as a leader and acts as the voice of the nation.
President George W. Bush gave a speech titled “9/11 Address to the Nation,” where he reassures the nation of our country’s strength and even calls it the “brightest beacon for freedom.” This event was a suicide bombing of the World Trade Center where approximately 3,000 people were killed and nearly 6,000 more were injured. Although it was one of the worst attacks in American history, it unified the nation in more ways than one. This speech was made even more important after a tragedy like 9/11 because the nation had been frightened by these acts of terror and was in need of the inspiration of our most powerful leader: the commander-in-chief. Throughout this speech, Bush uses rhetorical devices such as pathos, analogy, epithet, and asyndeton
In his “The Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy” speech to the nation, George W. Bush utilized diction and tone, organization, and rhetorical appeals in order to accomplish his purpose of soothing a mourning nation while anticipating the future. First, the speaker uses word choice and tone in order to soothe the heroes’ families. For example, he says, “Because of their courage, and daring, and idealism, we will miss them all the more.” With this quote, Bush emphasizes on the fallen astronauts’ courage, creating a tone of grief in missing the heroes, but also a feeling of pride in that the deaths were not in vain. Also, he continually uses the word “we” creating unity within the nation during the grieving process.
Considering the state that the country was in after the attacks, the presentation of this speech may have seemed an almost necessary thing to do for the president. However, the use of rhetoric goes above and beyond the basic presidential speech, it enables a connection with the American people on a personal level. Overall, we will never forget the events of that day, but we will especially remember how we pulled together as a nation, and how President Bush’s speech aided that feeling of
As President Kennedy enters office he gives an speech on the celebration of freedom; symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning of a new nation. Kennedy rises for the opportunity for persuasion after his inauguration has been addressed and he scarcely beats nixon. President Kennedy uses his authority for persuasion to bring the american people together under his power. The president uses the experience of war,poverty,and the desire for peace to develop an emotional appeal between the U.S and the world population. In this speech Kennedy uses ethos,pathos,logos,as well as other rhetorical devices to convince the audience.
Rhetorical Analysis: A Crisis of Confidence by Jimmy E. Carter From his speech in the Oval Office, 39th US President, Jimmy Earl Carter uses several rhetorical methods to get his point across to the American public. He rallies the audience to a common goal using diction, charged language, and rhetorical appeals like ethos and pathos. This is all in an attempt to help the citizens of America understand the necessity of confidence in our actions to fight against foreign dependence in the energy crisis. Carter utilizes diction to prove the necessity of his argument through using the repetition of statements pertaining to confidence in one’s actions.
Past leaders such as Andrew Jackson, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Marc Antony are evidence that society does not reward morality and good character in leadership. Society is drawn to leaders that have good rhetoric, propaganda, and charismatic personalities, and society supports them despite their immorality. Society is concerned about stability more than the morality of their leaders and will support immoral leaders in times of crisis to provide stability. In history there have been multiple leaders that have used rhetoric, propaganda and charismatic personalities to gain power, despite their morals.
Rhetorical Analysis "Fear is an instructor of great sagacity and the herald of all resolutions. "- Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” was a sermon written and delivered by American reverend Jonathan Edwards in 1741, and was an outstanding example of the potentially dominant convincing powers of the use of Rhetoric. The sermon, even when read silently, is effective in projecting a specific interpretation of the wrathful nature of God and the sinful nature of man.
For instance G.W. Busch during 9-11 and Abraham Lincoln with the Gettysburg Address. These two occasions might be different in many ways but they share a person rising to an opportunity to provide inspirational words for the people. Specifically, we can look at Ronald Reagan and how he rises to an occasion and unifies people while providing direction in a speech about the tragic “Challenger” event. My paper will use the Neo-Aristotelian criticism method, which explores the rhetorical situation and cannons of rhetoric.
The speech focuses on the fact that these terrorist attacks were out of pure evil. Bush wanted to make sure that America, along with the rest of the world, still had a fight and a drive in them. He wanted us to feel safe and protected. As he continues on, the American people hear what he has done and what will be done to
The Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation by Franklin Delano Roosevelt was delivered on December 8, 1941 in Washington, D.C., a day after one of America’s largest tragedies. The bombing of Pearl Harbor is an event that is unforgettable and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech in response to this shocking attack is one of the most significant speeches of all time. The significance of the speech is the fact that America joined into the fighting of World War II, something the Americans didn’t want to do at first. This speech has a stark resemblance to the speech George W. Bush gave after the terrorist attacks of The Twin Towers in New York City, an equally shocking event. FDR’s use of ethos, logos, and pathos was extremely effective in spurring
Analyzing Challenger’s Address Delivered on January 28, 1986, Ronald Reagan’s speech addressing the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was a plausible proof of the possibility to communicate various ideas during a tough situation effectively and efficiently. In a speech that lasted less than five minutes, Ronald Reagan managed to express his thoughts verbally and attempt to persuade his audience through an eulogy, a speech characterized by its epideictic occassion, that had been infused with a deliberative content that did not conflict with the core of the speech. Before one can analyze the details of Ronald Reagan’s speech, understanding the purpose behind the creation of the speech might be useful for understanding the context of the speech as a whole. Based on the speech how it relates to common speech purposes
In 1962 President John F. Kennedy held a press conference in which he informed the audience on his stance for the rising steel prices. Kennedy not only wanted to inform the audience, he wanted to get them on his side of the argument. He wanted to show the audience that the rising steel prices were going to have a negative impact on the nation. To do this Kennedy used some of the rhetoric strategies and tools. He used periodic sentences, anaphora, and diction.
On September 11th, 2001 the Twin Towers in New York City fell victim to a terrorist attack that left thousands dead, thousands more injured and millions in fear. Later that day George W. Bush, the President of the United States of America, created a speech to help calm the public about the events that occurred earlier that day. The speech was shown on national television the United States from the White House. The speech was effective because President Bush did help calm down the public with his speech. In President Bush’s speech to the public on the night of September eleventh 2001 he showed that his point of view was from the perspective that he was trying the comfort the American public.
On August 8th, 1974 at exactly 9:01 pm, Richard Nixon--former President-- gave a speech that would affect both United States history and the american people. Richard Nixon’s argument and claim lay within the textual aspects, in other words, his tone, attitude, and the strategic ways of presenting to his audience. In this historical speech, Richard Nixon broadcasted his character, past decisions, and future advice to the people of the United States in order to justify his resignation from the presidential office. The rhetorical stylistic tools were effective and instrumental in backing up the argument. Recognition of audience was important, because it will determine his attitude and tone, which was innocence.