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The relationship between classical rhetoric and
contemporary political oratory is complex. The ethos associated specifically
with presidential oratory represents a negotiation between multiple personae
and audiences. As the chief executive of the United States, the president
must claim the "I" position as a speaker of individual action and yet he
must also represent America as a collective of citizens and testify from
the perspective of the common "we."
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Today, our nation saw evil, the very
worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America -- with
the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors
who came to give blood and help in any way they could. Immediately
following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response
plans. Our military is powerful, and it's prepared. Our emergency teams
are working in New York City and Washington, D.C. to help with local rescue
efforts. (George W. Bush 9-11-01) |
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Presidential rhetoric must also draw on the natural
speech idiom, but it must do so in a form that demands the use of elevated
speech, what speech writers call "laying marble." Although
Bush has cultivated a homespun Texas image, in the speech about September
11 before Congress he employs a topos straight out of ancient rhetoric
of the classical period and raises the shield of the fallen hero and remembers
him to the crowd by name.
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And I will carry this: It is
the police shield of a man named George Howard, who died at the World Trade
Center trying to save others. It was given to me by his mom, Arlene,
as a proud memorial to her son. This is my reminder of lives that
ended, and a task that does not end. (George W. Bush 9-20-01) |
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