Essay question 2
Jay91
visual_rhetoric.pptxVisual Rhetoric
9-11 Changes Everything…for Awhile: United We Stand
President GW Bush and the Rhetoric of September 11
“The attacks on the WTC and Pentagon mark the end of one era in history, and the start of another.”
In response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, President GW Bush presented several speeches to Congress and the American People.
Over the course of a year, the President:
Outlined his foreign policy for the nation and the world
Built his case for the War on Terror, the War in Iraq and the War in Afghanistan
Address to the Nation on 9-11-01
US citizens and way of life came under attack
Best of American responded-the hero citizens
Bring terrorists to justice
Address to Joint Session of Congress September 20, 2001
Demands Taliban hand over terrorists
Asks why do terrorists hate us?
Outlines different kind of war, a new war
Citizens: be calm, uphold American values, support the victims, be patient with inconveniences, pray
Conclusion: You’re either with us or against us in the fight against terror
State of the Union Address January 26, 2002
Traditional State of the Union Address outlining social, domestic, and foreign policies, plus:
War on Terror: We are winning, our cause is just; Afghanistan=terror groups; Iraq=biological and chemical weapons; Conclusion: Afghanistan and Iraq=Axis of Evil
Budget: Cost of war is $30 million dollars a day= 1 billion per month
Citizenship: Bush calls on every American to commit at least 2 years, 4000 hours, over your lifetime to the service of your neighbors and nation.
New Citizen Program: USA Freedom Corps
Respond to crises at home
Rebuild communities
Extend American compassion throughout the world
Commencement Address, West Point-June 2002
War on Terror:
Only just begun, but well-begun
Gravest danger is chemical and biological weapons
New type of enemy: deterrence and containment won’t work
War won’t be won on the defensive, must take battle to enemy
This fight has moral purpose
Conclusion: We are in a conflict between Good and Evil
20th Century America
Model of human progress, human dignity
Rule of law, limits to power of state
Respect for women, private property, free speech, equal justice, and religious tolerance
Analyzing War Rhetoric
“Citizens look to the President and administration for leadership and in times of perceived crises”
GW Bush used:
Words and meaning, the narrative, and language devices
Words
The rhetoric of 9-11 created new words: the 9-11 phrase and the WMD phrase can now stand alone in our language
For impact, the President regularly used politically sensitive words like democracy, patriotism, terrorism, and torture
Narrative
Crisis rhetoric often presents conflict in the simplest terms of pure good versus pure evil
The President regularly invoked the narrative of good and evil, implying God is on our side (America), Satan on theirs (terrorists)
Language
Metaphors include:
War and crime metaphors referring to the terrorists
A conflation between citizenship and nationality was invoked=a threat to one becomes a threat to another, it’s us or them.
Repetition of three themes:
Invoke the events of 9/11
There is a presence of external threats
The struggle against evil
ACTIVITY
PLEASE GET INTO GROUPS OF 4-5 PEOPLE
WATCH VIDEO 2 TIMES
WRITE A RHETORICAL CRITIQUE
NEXT CLASS
Due: Summary of, and response to, the rhetorical strategies of G.W. Bush following 9/11 (5 of 10 weekly reading summaries and reflections- At leats 1 page typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font)
The Rhetoric of Terror
Al-Qaeda Narrative
The Muslim world has suffered more than 80 years of humiliation and disgrace at the hands of Americans
America exploits the world, its environments, and natural resources
Good and Evil: American is the great Satan, the west is the epitome of exploitation and injustice.
In essence, America should not seek revenge, but greater understanding and attention to the plight of others
Al-Qaeda Metaphors
The attacks targeted primary symbols of America’s strength, power and world status. Attacks were punishment for our own greed, pride, arrogance, and decay of morals and values.
WTC is a symbol of wealth and greed
Pentagon is a symbol of military power
Basically, the terrorists may be bad, but America is worse
Historic Ratings
The President’s 9-11 rhetoric was very effective with citizens
President Bush’s approval ratings went from below 50% before 9/11, to nearly 90%, a record high after September 20, 2001
The President had continuing, healthy public approval ratings well into 2002
The White House had historically high approval ratings to launch the “war on terrorism,” with virtually no political or public debate.
Heroic Citizens
9/11 terrorist attacks resulted in almost 3,000 fatalities including:
Civilians
Emergency responders
FDNY: Lost 343 members
NYPD: Lost 23 members
PAPD: Lost 37 members
According to National Sept 11 Memorial and Museum
United We Stand
We were reminded that we were citizens, with obligations to each other, to our country, and to history.
American’s responded to 9/11 with courage and compassion, strength and resolve.
GW Bush, 2002 State of the Union
Volunteerism
Americans spend 19 billion hours a year volunteering
After 9/11
10% of Americans volunteered to help victims of the terrorist attacks in some way.
According to volunteermatch.org, a website matching citizens with volunteer opportunities in their community, saw a two to three fold increase in volunteering after the terrorist attacks.
Military
Contrary to popular myth, there was no “surge” in military enlistment post 9/11
Enlistment goals were met and re-enlistment rates have remained stable post 9/11
Re-enlistment:
Was negative in the Air Force, Navy and Marines from 2003-2004, but positively impacted from 2004-2007
Was positive in the Army from 2002-2005, but has been negatively impacted since 2006
Patriotic Symbols
US Patriotic symbols include:
The American flag, the bald eagle, and great seal, and Uncle Sam
After 9/11, the two most common patriotic symbols used by Americans
American Flags
Yellow “support-our-troops” ribbons
Visual Rhetoric
Visual Rhetoric analyzes images:
For the messages in the images
How messages are communicated in images
We analyze visual images according to
Narrative theory
Visual rhetoric critique
Narrative Theory
Visual images tell stories
Visual Rhetoric Critique:
Represent ideological forces, belief systems, and cultural icons
Contain ideas, condense ideas into a single compelling idea, and reduce the interpretations an audience can make, giving the eyes a single, dominant meaning
Contain tensions, or contrary “sub meanings,” these can be easily resolved, or deep and abiding
9/11 Images
For Americans, the images of 9/11 followed the horror of the:
Minute-by-minute destruction of the World Trade Center buildings, and citizens running for their lives
Flames engulfing the Pentagon
Crash-site of flight 93
Focus
In the first days after the attacks, the images focused on the attack sites.
Later the focus was on the people and families of he victims.
Visual Rhetoric Critique
The image of the firemen raising the flag at the World Trade Center was one of the most popular photos from 9/11
The narrative invoked from the image is based on the popular image of soldiers in WWII raising the flag on Iwo Jima
Critique
Narrative Probability:
The image does have probability
Based on the attacks, this image fits what is consistent and believable for Americans: emergency responders are heroes, and when under attack, would find a way to demonstrate “United We Stand”
Narrative Fidelity:
At the time of the Photo, the image did not have fidelity. The image did not match the belief that Americans would not be attacked on their own soil.
Visual Rhetoric Critique
Belief systems: the image represents beliefs of democracy and the American way of life.
Single Meaning: Heroes overcoming crisis, even under horrible conditions
Tensions: Deep abiding tension between the ceremony of raising the flag versus the twisted metal wreckage in the background
