Communications and Media

This paper aims to examine the Justice Will Be Done speech of President George W. Bush according to the Pentadic Method, as articulated by the literary analyst Kenneth Burke. This method will also be used to assess the effectiveness of the speech, which focuses on the five internal elements of the artifact the agent, the act, the agency, the scene, and the purpose.

One of the most famous and most memorable speeches made in recent history, especially in the field of world affairs and international security, is the speech Justice Will Be Done, given by then United States President George W. Bush in front of the United States Congress, September 20, 2001. It is actually in this speech where President Bush called for all of the peace-loving nations of the world to join the United States and launch a war against terror. Truly, this speech have brought out far reaching effects in global security, with the United States actually launching wars against Afghanistan and Iraq in the name of waging a war against terrorism, and looking for the main person responsible for terrorist actions all over the world Osama Bin Laden of the Al-Qaeda. Of course, the rhetoric present in this speech played an important part in gathering the support of the American people, as well as many nations around the world to support his war on terrorism (which soon composed the coalition forces that occupied Afghanistan and Iraq). Given this background, this essay would then focus upon the importance of using the rhetoric for a world leader, like President Bush, to enable to rally the American people to join his cause, that is, the War against Terror.

Rhetorical Situation
Of course, the speech Justice Will Be Done will also be situated in its rhetorical situation. The rhetorical situation is considered to be closely related to the determination of the style and technique of rhetoric employed by the rhetor, especially to affect the perceptions of the target audience in the desirable way. Basically, a rhetorical situation is composed of three basic elements the speaker of the rhetoric (or the rhetor), the audience to whom it is addressed, and the specific occasion where it is addressed. In this speech, the speaker (or the rhetor) is the then United States President George Bush. The audience to whom the rhetoric is addressed is to the United States Congress and the American people as a whole. The specific occasion where it was addressed is in the Special Joint Session of the United State Congress (September 20, 2001), which was also televised nationwide through national television.

However, it would be helpful to review first the specific events that happened before President Bushs speech, for us to properly understand it in context. One of the most significant prologues to his speech is the dreadful September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the twin towers of New York City, wherein two airplanes hijacked by terrorists linked with the Al-Qaeda intentionally crashed their planes into the twin towers, causing thousands of lives lost, and billions of dollars worth of damage incurred. Simultaneous with the attacks on the twin towers where attacks on the national security headquarters of the United States (popularly knows as the Pentagon), and as well as attacks on Philadelphia. These terrorist attacks were soon admitted by the Al-Qaeda, wherein the video showed their leader, Osama bin Laden (a former United States ally in the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan, back in the 1980s). These terrorist attacks sparked public indignation and condemnation by the international community.
The speaker of the rhetoric (the rhetor)

George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the USA, at the time when the attacks occurred. He was first elected to the office of President in 2001 and reelected in 2005. In his tenure, he remained committed to the issue of national security and combating terrorism. His actions attracted much criticism from the national as well as international media, especially those severely affected with bombing of Afghanistan and invasion of Iraq. He was instrumental in liberating Iraq from the tyrannical rule of the dictator Saddam Hussein however, the atrocities practiced in the Iraq and the bloodshed caused invited much criticism. Perhaps a visionary that looked forward to establishing America as the most powerful country in the world.

The audience
The target audience is the citizens of the United States of America who were waiting impatiently for administrations response, amidst all of the sacrifice in human life and the billions of dollars suffered in damages. He also addressed the United States congress, and sought their support in launching full scale attacks upon the perpetrators, in order to win justice. The speech also targeted the world at large, the world countries, leaders, organizations, communities, sects, the terrorist groups that wrecked so much havoc and the countries that supported them, either directly or indirectly. The president also tried to garner the support of the Islamic nations.

The specific occasion
This speech was actually delivered exactly ten days after the attacks on the World Trade Center (the twin towers) occurred, with the Congress calling for a special joint session just to discuss the next steps that the United States must take. With the American public, as well as the international community anticipating what steps the United States will take, the President boldly called for a full retaliation, calling on the public and the international community to support his war against terrorism, in order for justice to be done.

Rhetorical Method
One of the most effective ways in analyzing the effects of the rhetoric is through analyzing the structure and the different elements that played in the rhetoric itself. With this in context, one of the most effective methods that can be used in analyzing this rhetoric is the pentadic analysis (or pentadic criticism), formulated by the famous literary analyst Kenneth Burke. According to Burke, the pentadic analysis actually aims to answer the questions What is involved, when we say what people are doing, and why are they doing it (Foss, 2009, 355). In this case, Burke actually argues that the rhetoric is like a play, which presents a particular view of our situation (Foss, 2009, 356). This method actually uses five basic elements (also known as the pentad) the agent, the act, the agency, the scene, and the purpose (Foss, 2009, 356).

Assessment
According to Burke, the agent is actually the protagonist in the rhetoric (Foss, 2009, 358) in this particular rhetoric, the agent is the American nation (The United States), which George Bush described as awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Bush also emphasized the fact that the American nation includes free peoples who are enjoying civil rights. Meanwhile, the act, according to Burke, is the rhetors presentation of the major action by the protagonist or the agent (Foss, 2009, 358) in this rhetoric, the act is the war on terror, against the terrorists who are enemies of freedom. The means the rhetor says to perform the act, according to Burke, is the agency (Foss, 2009, 358) in this rhetoric, the agency is a long, invincible, and open ended war, which President Bush described as far more than instant retaliation and strikes, but to decisively starve the terrorist of funding, and drive them to defeat. Burke defined the scene as the ground, location or situation where the act takes place (Foss, 2009, 358), which Bush describes as every corner of the earth. Burke also defined the purpose as what the agent intends to accomplish, (Foss, 2009, 358) which in this case, is to fight terrorism and to protect freedom and prosperity around the globe. I personally think that Bush made a very good speech, with him rationally combining the elements of the rhetoric to make the United States appear as a fighter for freedom and democracy.

Conclusion
I personally believe that the pentadic method is an effective method in analyzing rhetoric, due to the fact that it enables the critic to look at the internal structure of the rhetoric, as well as analyzing it according to its proper context. In addition, I also think that the pentadic method, due to its focus on the five elements, enables critics to look at the message of an artifact from different perspectives, as well as the hidden messages of it, with respect to its overall effectiveness.