Applying Burke's Pentad to Former President Bush's 9/11 Speech

Breanna Taylor

• Act: On September 11, 2001, Islamic extremists hijacked four planes and crashed them into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, resulting in a terrorist attack on American soil. This video features former President Bush discussing the attacks. His message was directed toward all Americans who were scared during this time, reassuring them that America and its military were not afraid.

• Scene: The terrorist attack known as 9/11 occurred on September 11, 2001. This attack targeted multiple locations, including the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where one of the hijacked planes crashed, resulting in the deaths of all 40 passengers on board. Historically, the United States has had a contentious relationship with Osama bin Laden, a leader in Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden opposed the presence of American military forces in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War, believing it intruded upon Islamic beliefs. He founded and led the organization al-Qaeda, declaring a holy war against America. The 9/11 attacks were not random acts of violence; they were part of the broader conflict between the two sides. This tragedy was particularly significant for Americans, as it marked the first major terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

• Agent: The Agent was not one person but Al- Qaeda the organization created by Osama Bin Laden. This attack took time and planning and it was not just the people who carried out the act. They also had four pilots and 15 hijackers that took over the four planes.  Agency:  During this period airports did not have the same security we do today, because of 9/11. And the terrorists took that to their advantage. With five years of planning and training, they split them up between the planes and snuck knives and box cutters on the plane. The hijackers being able to have these weapons overtook the planes and 3 of the 4 planes achieved their goal. The Twin Towers was high by two planes, one plane hit the Pentagon and the last one was overtaken by the passengers and did not make it to the white house but all of the passengers died. 
• Purpose: Al-Qaeda aimed to attack and dismantle symbols of prosperity, specifically the World Trade Center and the White House. This tactic was intended to make a country appear weaker and make Americans fearful.

Now that we have set the stage for the speech given by former President Bush, we can better understand the motives behind the message he was conveying to the American people. This is an extremely serious topic, and when viewed through Burke’s Pentad, we can see his speech as a form of drama addressing the situation at hand. The words and tones he used were clearly intentional.

He opens the speech with phrases like “our freedom is under attack” and refers to the enemy as evil. These choices reveal to me that his emotions were genuine and that he was addressing scared American citizens. During this time, understanding the scene it is important to recognize that all Americans were frightened, as this was an unprecedented situation that we were not prepared for. After understanding the sense and purpose of this attack I realize how much it truly affected America. This changed our airports like no other and gave a new meaning to the date 9/11. This Attack also increased the islamophobia in America tremendously,  but that's a different story. 

The scene has affected the outcome by changing American history books and causing a society or grief.  I believe that the motive or goal was achieved. Al-Qeada did not want any survivors from their team of suicide hijackers and wanted to demolish the Pentagon, The Twin Towers, along with the United States Capitol, were targeted in the attacks that struck two of the three prominent American buildings on 9/11. I believe the speech delivered during this time was not the most effective, but given the circumstances, it’s understandable that there wasn't much to say. I cannot imagine the difficulty of being president during 9/11 and having to be the first address to the American people. This emphasizes why understanding the context is important when evaluating a speech.