“President Obama Speaks at 9/11 Museum Dedication” May 15, 2014

The rhetor of this speech is President Barack Obama and the topic which he is speaking is the remembrance of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The purpose of his speech is to bring people together to honor the families, survivors, and the lost lives of the attacks at the dedication of a museum. The context of his speech is telling specific stories of heroic people who helped to save lives on that day, but also to express a message of hope and patriotism.

The audience of this speech is the American people who watched the events unfold in horror, the family members and survivors of the attacks, and also the world, as the speech was televised. He is speaking not only to those in attendance of the dedication ceremony but also to Americans at home, many of whom also potentially have a story in relation to the 9/11 attacks. By televising the speech, it could also be an attempt to speak to American enemies to let them know that America will not lay down, but instead will stand tall and persevere in times of tragedy as a strong, united nation.

He uses pathos with the specific story of “the man in the red bandana” who helped people escape the towers during that day. Obama also picks certain artifacts within the museum such as a wedding ring, a dusty helmet, a shining badge which helps in the narrative of real people and heroes perishing in the towers. He invokes his credibility by mentioning how with the help of the navy seals he brought down the orchestrator of the 9/11 attacks. For logos, he gives a rough estimation of how many died as a result of the attacks. I would need to look much closer for more examples of logos in the speech.