Open Access“Our Grief and Anger”: George W. Bush’s Rhetoric in the Aftermath of 9/11 as Presidential Crisis Communication
Author(s) -
Rafał Kuś
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
res rhetorica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2392-3113
DOI - 10.29107/rr2020.1.3
Subject(s) - george (robot) , rhetoric , presidential system , grief , politics , anger , rhetorical question , terrorism , presidential election , political science , political communication , media studies , sociology , law , art , psychology , social psychology , literature , art history , philosophy , psychotherapist , linguistics
This paper offers a review and analysis of speeches delivered by President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Bush’s motivations, goals, and persuasive strategies are discussed in detail in the following study, with consideration for the cultural and political contexts of American oratory and the idiosyncratic features of the Republican as a public speaker. The characteristics of Bush's 9/11 communication acts are then compared with Franklin D. Roosevelt's Pearl Harbor speech in order to analyze the differences between the two politicians' rhetorical modi operandi as well as the changing political environment of the U.S.