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Rhetorical Analysis

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EH 101-2BE
24 September 2015
A Battle Won in the War on Terror
President Obama gave a speech confirming the death of Osama bin Laden. His ten minute speech was something that the American people needed to hear. After ten long years, some justice had finally been served, and president Obama was able to inform America of this great success. The president is attempting to inform the country of the events leading up to Bin Laden’s death. All of the conflict with Osama bin Laden began on a date most people will never forget. On September 11, 2001 al-Qaeda, bin Laden’s terrorist group, launched an attack on American soil. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and another into a field in southern Pennsylvania. As a result of this terrorist attack on the United States, 2,996 people were murdered and more than 6,000 people were injured. This was a proclamation of war by al-Qaeda. Because of this horrible tragedy, Osama bin Laden became the number one wanted man and was hated by all Americans. For the ten years that followed the attacks, people were permanently scarred and emotionally rocked. Everyone wanted bin Laden dead. And therefore, Obama’s speech on May 1 was some of the best news that the United States had received. Through his speech the President is trying to inform the nation that now is a time to rejoice ,but the war on terror is far from over. President Obama achieves this through invoking powerful emotions connected to past events. Throughout his speech, president Obama is incorporating various rhetorical devices (such as appeals to pathos and ethos) in order to make his speech effective and memorable.
President Obama uses pathos through a large part of his speech and in doing so invokes many emotions in the American people. In the president’s speech he reinforces the idea and feeling of loss in his speech when referencing the after effects of 9/11, he uses imagery to convey this feeling which can be seen when he says “The empty seat at the dinner table…leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.”(Obama). His statement uses the powerful imagery of empty chairs at the dinner table to invoke the emotions that many felt on 9/11. Thousands have lost loved ones on 9/11 and by using imagery the president brings back the emotions of that day to the surface. This is a direct appeal to all people. Most everyone has family that they care greatly about, and this reminder that many families were damaged because of bin Laden’s actions could eventually lead to an even stronger dislike of him and a greater approval of President Obama, because he was able to end bin Laden’s life. The American people already had a strong dislike for bin Laden, but by using this loaded language Obama was just reminding the people of their dislike for bin Laden and thus trying to draw an emotional reaction to his death.
President Obama first speaks of how the “bright day” of September 11th, was “worsened” and became the “darkest day”. Each of the words demonstrates the dramatic emotional change throughout the day, and also exemplifies the emotions of the American people on that day. Rather than just saying a nice day that turned bad, he uses more descriptive language that has the ability to evoke emotions in those that are listening to his speech. All of these simple adjectives throughout his speech add much emotion to it.
President Obama is first given credibility as a speaker when he is seen in a hallway of the White House, dressed nicely with a single American flag pin on his chest. The presence of the presidential seal also establishes his credibility. As a result of this professional and powerful setting, Obama is able to be viewed as a believable person. Also the fact that he is the president helps his credibility. But because of his appearance he is able to give a strong speech, emphasizing the importance of bin Laden’s death. Instead of making himself seem like he is above the America citizens, he is appealing to the people by making it seem like he too was affected on September 11. By stressing the importance of capturing bin Laden, President Obama is trying to seem more personable to the audience, and also uses this to establish pathos within his speech as well.
President Obama’s speech was a very important moment in America’s History, and he made sure of it by perfectly incorporating various rhetorical appeals. The president hit home with his audience by using various emotional phrases and depicting images that are extremely relatable to the America people. By successfully doing this, president Obama was able to not only get his point across, but also able to restore some of the confidence of the American people that was taken on September 11, 2001 and did so with his great speech confirming the death of Osama bin Laden.

Works Cited
Obama, Barack Hussein. “President Barack Obama’s Post UBL Assassination Address.” White house. 2 May 2011. Address.

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