1The Same Old Story: Presidential Rhetoric and Interpreting September 11th

Producing rhetoric in the form of speeches is one of the major functions of the modern American president. The circumstances, purposes, form, content, and effects of presidential speeches vary widely, as do methods of and reasons for analyzing them. The occasions for these speeches vary as well; some are routine, determined by the political calendar. Some are responses to traumatic events—social or political ruptures. Although these are not the only kinds of presidential rhetoric, they lie at opposite ends of the spectrum and will be the focus of this paper. My main concern is with the latter type: particularly, President George W. Bush’s speeches on and immediately after September 11th, 2001. But in order to contextualize these speeches, I will first consider speeches of these two opposing types, beginning as early as 1957. My analysis will take place on several levels. I will investigate the realities that the speeches construct, using Kenneth Burke’s dramatic pentad to identify the elements of the speeches and their interactions. The patterns these elements form lead to a useful characterization of the two genres of presidential rhetoric in question, and I will discuss the distinct roles that these genres play in the presidents ’ interpretation of reality. This analytical structure will be developed i