The Bullhorn speech delivered on the 14th September 2001 by President George W. Bush goes down as one of the most heartwarming and emotional speeches that the United States has seen in many years. This paper aims at analyzing the speech based on the account of three rhetorical appeals: pathos, ethos, and logos, which makes a speech to be effective. This paper also determines that the Bullhorn speech by President Bush was indeed effective and connected well with the crowd.
Ethos can be simply defined as the credibility of the speaker's image. At the Bullhorn speech, the president came out wearing a button down shirt, business slacks, and a pullover. Unlike the normal presidential attire, this casual attire worn during the speech was a casual wear that most employees in blue collar jobs could wear. This kind of clothing was significant because it set the tone for the president's speech and established his credibility. By wearing casual attire the president was relating to the victims of the attack. During his speech, the president put his arm around the firefighter and emergency responder’s shoulders and they seemed to be connecting with each other. With these actions, the president influenced the crowd to perceive him as a compassionate leader of the community who was receivable and who felt their pain. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the Bullhorn speech is the fact that it was only thirteen sentences but Bush was able to connect with the crowd in the most beautiful way.
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The pathos can be determined by the ability to appeal to the emotions of the crowd. The president appealed to the emotions of the crowd. At one point, one of the rescue workers shouted, "I can't hear you!" And the president responded back, "I can hear you! I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people – and the people who knocked down these building will hear from us soon!" From this, the president captured the attention of the crowd and vowed to revenge on the perpetrators. He brought the crowd to frenzy as they shouted with partisanship at the thought of vengeance as a united country.
Finally, on logos, the president made logical arguments on the need for the country to stand together. This is the proper statement which holds logic since for the United States to overcome the attack, they had to stand together to fight the common enemy. In his speech, the president said, “The nation stands with the good people of New York City.” The president left the crowd chanting, "USA” as a way to show unity and perhaps reinstate their power.
