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Ethan Parker/ 101724907

Prof. William Barnes


English 110
October 17, 2016
Small Writing Assignment 3
9/11 Address to the Nation
September 11, 2001 is a dark day in American history as terrorist hijacked planes and
attacked places on the east coast resulting in roughly three thousand deaths and six thousand
wounded. Later that day President George W. Bush addressed the nation about the gruesome
events that had occurred in his 9/11 Address to the Nation. Throughout this speech President
Bush uses ellipses, emotional-arousing words, and metaphors to inspire hope within the
Americans watching and listening.
An ellipsis is a rhetorical device is an omission from speech or writing of a word or
words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues. The first way in which
President Bush uses this is in the second paragraph of the speech within the imagery that he uses:
The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing have
filled us with disbelief..." In this sentence the ellipsis is used with the word pictures as it is
being used to describe "fires burning" and "huge structures collapsing" without repeating
"pictures of" after each comma; it is simply implied. Another example of where this is used is to
describe the internal response to the terrorist attacks of the Americans; And we responded with
the best of America, with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and
neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could". In this statement, Bush is
explaining how Americans responded to the attacks, without saying "responded" each time, it is

implied to describe "with the daring of our rescue workers" and "with the caring for strangers
and neighbors...".
Another rhetorical device that Bush uses is the use of emotion-arousing words. This is
where President Bush relates to most humans as he shows emotions of fear. This can be heard in
the recording as a deliberate and deadly, yet in the end gives a sense of security. Yet Bush then
uses the repetition of words such as our and America almost in a way that is meant to make
us feel patriotic and able to got through this. This is shown in the phrases, Our nation is strong
and Our nation saw evil. The effect that is given by this was reuniting Americans with how
they feel implementing in the people hope, a sense of justice, and a sense of resolve.
The final device that he uses is a metaphor as not only he personifies our nation but also
in the third paragraph, These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American
resolve,". In this remark, the "steel" of American resolve is not used to describe literal steel but
more of America's strength as a country. It is used as a way to show American prevalence as seen
at the end of the speech when Bush says, America has stood down enemies before, and we will
do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all
that is good and just in our world.
Throughout his "9/11 Address to the Nation" speech, George W. Bush uses rhetorical
devices such as ellipsis, emotionally-appealing words, and metaphors to reinforce the impact and
emotion of his words, showing how our great nation has been shocked by acts of terror, but will
come together as one to persevere.

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