President Bush Blog

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

Act- The act includes the president at the time, George Bush, who is addressing the nation. He is speaking out about the 911 attack that happened at the time, trying to give the American people some reassurance and a sense of safety. Letting American citizens know that they are trying to find the people who committed these acts and that he is with all of the people who might have lost somebody important to them in this horrible tragedy.

Scene- The physical broadcast took place in the White House, but the actual place that this situation happened took place in New York and in Washington DC (at the Pentagon and at the twin towers). It happened September 11 of 2001.

Agent- The agent is George Bush. He was the one who performed the action of giving the broadcast. He was the president at the time so he was the person that everyone looked to when this horrible tragedy happened. Everyone looks toward who is in charge, which is the president and he delivered what he could.

Agency- The act was performed through a broadcast. It was a recorded broadcast on a news station, but it was also able to be heard through the radio and other media. A camera was used to be able to record his speech.

Purpose- The act was performed to give reassurance to the American people. He let people know that he is there for them, that he and other people in the government are working hard to find the people responsible for these acts, so that no more harm can be done. He is giving Americans a sense of safety. He doesn’t want anybody to worry. He is speaking out about all of the people who have passed and that they are doing the best they can to try and pick up the pieces of what was damaged.

Analysis

The different elements of the pentad interact with each other well. Each element has its own purpose, and with all of them together you get a thorough explanation and a strong understanding of the event that happened. The analysis reveals the choices that George Bush took were all positive. That what he did was for the greater good of society. He wanted to, again, reassure Americans, and to ensure their safety and comfort. He didn’t want anybody to worry. I think the agent (the president) influenced the purpose the most. With the situation that happened, the most important person to hear from is the president. They are the person who is in charge of our country. I don’t think the outcome would have been as beneficial as if it was a written statement or if it was somebody else that spoke out about it. The most beneficial thing was for the president to speak out about what happened through a media broadcast. It was able to show that even though what happened that day was such a tragedy, the president was able to focus on the American people and acknowledge what happened. It shows his bravery and commitment to the American people. Letting them know the military is strong, our society is strong, so we can get through this hardship.