President George W. Bush gave a speech to a joint session of Congress and the American people following the September 11th terrorist attacks. The purpose of the speech was to reassure and unite the nation in the face of tragedy. Bush emphasized American values of solidarity, generosity, and strength. He condemned the terrorists and their extreme ideologies. Bush also pledged to bring terrorists to justice and bolster national security. Through the use of emotional language and examples, Bush effectively persuaded and inspired the audience to come together against the threat of terrorism.

1. Running head: EFFECTIVE SPEECH
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EFFECTIVE SPEECH 7
Effective Speech
Shuaiyi Qu
Effective Speech
Part 1: Testing the Strength of Supporting Material
20th September 2001 is a day that saw President George
Walker Bush address the whole nation in a Joint Session of
Congress in the wake of terror attacks that rocked the nation on
11th September, 2011. The citizens of America demanded an
address by the president as the nation desperately needed
direction and aid in dealing with what was the most horrific of
terror attacks against US. Emotions and fear were common
among persons across. People had numerous questions that
needed to be answered and major services in the nation were
halting (Washington Post, 2001, Bush, 2001).
The speech by President Bush was effectively
communicated to the audience. The general purpose of the
speech was persuade and inspire unity, strength and belief
among the people of America. The president referenced the
togetherness, generosity and helping hand shown towards those
in need during the unfortunate event to influence more
solidarity, hope and strength going into the future. The specific
purpose of the speech was to provide response and direction for
the people. In this the president promptly declared major
repercussions for terrorists and their supporters. His assurance
of more putting more efforts and resources to ensuring security
of US citizens, defending their freedom and in dealing with

2. terror threats effectively quelled fears and asserted sense of
stability and pride among American people.
Types of Supporting Material, Usage and Evaluation
Some of the main supporting materials President Bush
utilized were examples, statistics and testimonies. The president
used examples to reinforce ideas and make them more concrete.
He used several examples of goodwill from people in the nation
and across the globe to emphasize solidarity and support during
those uncertain times. Such examples were Todd Beamer who
helped in rescuing survivors, the well-wishers who raised 40$
billion for recovery efforts and the massive support that was
received from international communities. He also used the
examples of past attacks such as one in 1941 and Iraq to show
just how serious this terror attack was, and past incidences
committed by those terrorists in Tanzania and Kenya. These
examples showed that terror threats were global crises and
emphasized the importance of getting every help possible in the
fight against terrorists. This worked efficiently in giving some
much-needed answers and reassuring people of prospering over
the tough times (McGaan, 2000).
President Bush used testimonies or statements to further
dishonor terrorists and show their flawed ideologies. Examples
of such statements are observed in his reference of terrorists’
notion of religion to be fringe form of Islamic extremism that
has been even rejected by almost all Muslim clerics. The
president’s use of some statements showed how backward
terrorists essentially were and why they deserved to face
justice. They are appropriately portrayed as persons that don’t
allow women to school, disregard democracy and commit
murders to satisfy their radical visions. These statements are
testimonies from what has been previous experiences with
terrorists. These paint a clear picture of the terrorists, their
irrational actions, ideas and shows why they should be dealt
with accordingly (McGaan, 2000).
The speech had elements of quantitative information,
albeit scarcely utilized. The president stated that terrorists were

3. in their thousands in more than 60 countries. This numbers
showed that terrorism is a global ordeal, precisely why the war
against them would take a lengthy campaign. The massive
impact of terrorism on our world was further highlighted
through noting that victims of the attack came from 80 different
countries. This made the support received worldwide to be of
much more value (Washington Post, 2001, Bush, 2001).
Persuasion
The speech was mainly made up of elements of persuasion.
An important aspect of the speech was the appeal to emotions of
the masses in his presentation. He used people’s names in
referring to them. Examples are Todd and Lisa Beamer, George
Howard and his mother, Arlene. This was able to touch the
emotions of the people and evoked feelings of sympathy and
sorrow which effectively drove home the messages. The public
was generally angry and frustrated after the terror attacks. The
public needed support and stability, and these emotions helped
provide a receptive response from the public towards the
speech. The beginning of the speech also touches on emotions
through reminding people of unfurling of flags, lighting of
candles, sacrifices of rescuers and those who were invested in
grief of strangers. This was very relatable to the public and got
them more involved in the speech (Washington Post, 2001,
Bush, 2001).
Ethos was effectively used in the speech to thank the world
for massively supporting the US. Great Britain was a major
recipient of these appreciation as the prime minister of the
nation was present for the occasion. The address to the Muslim
community was very ethical. It was necessary to clearly
separate terrorists from the rest of Muslim society that correctly
practiced their religion. Ethos was further utilized in declaring
war to terrorists groups, countries that harbored them and the
measures that would put forth to protect people from threats.
This was helpful in instilling confidence in the public
(Washington Post, 2001, Bush, 2001).
President Bush applied logos in addressing the issues and

4. the faulty ambitions of terror groups. He stated the aims of the
terrorists to be in ending lives, disrupting and ending ways that
people live while hoping America grows fearful and deserts
allies. Denouncing of all that radical movements stand for was
crucial to assert to the audiences that the issue of terrorism will
be addressed relentlessly (Washington Post, 2001, Bush, 2001).
Part 2: Rhetorical Situation Research Memo
President George Walker Bush addressed the joint session
of Congress and the people of United States after the terror
attacks that occurred on September 19, 2001. The exigence was
the necessity to communicate to the nation’s citizens after the
recent case of terror disrupted the peace and calm in US. The
president first issued statements of hope and encouragement to
the people while stressing on the importance of coming
together. He expressed gratitude to a range of dignitaries,
nations and other persons before giving detailed information on
the terrorists, their activities and the forthcoming retaliation
against them. The entire nation rallied together after the
occasion and displayed strength.
President Bush directs his speech towards an audience that
comprised of the American people who were facing tribulations
brought by the terror attacks and the international community
which had shown great support for US. The president also
addressed the terror groups stating clearly that they would not
be tolerated. The audience generally knew of terror threats from
radical movements but never before had people experienced
such bizarre circumstances.
General purpose for the speech is to strengthen
commitment towards addressing the global debacle that is
terrorism. The specific purpose of the speech was aimed at both
ensuring the safety and security of American people and to
declaring war against the terror groups. These form the main
claims from the speech which were fitting responses to the
rhetoric situation.
The speech by President Bush had little constraints, if any.
The type speech was persuasive which fit that particular

5. situation. The location of the speech showed formality and his
tone was very appropriate. He addressed issues at hand in ways
and with words that helped alleviate the crisis. The terror
attacks made it necessary for president to address the situation
which he adequately did (Washington Post, 2001, Bush, 2001).
References
Washington Post. (2001).President Bush Addresses the Nation.
Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
srv/nation/specials/attacked/transcripts/bushaddress_092001.ht
ml
McGaan, L. (2000). Support Material. Retrieved from
http://libguides.lamar.edu/c.php?g=369207&p=2495265
Bush, G. W. (2001). Address to a joint session of Congress and
the American people. Harv. JL
& Pub. Pol'y, 25, xviii.