President Obama’s Speech on the Death of Osama bin Laden

President Obama’s Speech on the Death of Osama bin Laden
(Lesson 11)
1. Name of Speaker, Name of Speech, and Source for Speech's Text.
On 1st May 2011, President of the United States Barack Obama gave a detailed speech on the tracking, hunting, and killing of Osama bin Laden, the leader of the Al-Qaida. President Obama gave the speech at 11:35p.m in the East Room of the White House. The White House published the full speech on its website under President Barack Obama. The speech was titled the Death of Osama bin Laden.
2. Why are you interested in this rhetorical artifact and/or speaker? To what degree do you think your classmates are familiar with this particular speech/speaker/text/topic?
The speech is interesting in how President Barack Obama signified and justified the killing of bin Laden; it was a major step toward healing past wounds. The president creates a vivid picture of the 9/11 attack stating, "a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack…” (The White House). All classmates know about the significant Death of Osama bin Laden and Obama's speech.
3. Describe the rhetorical exigence(s) that gave rise to this text. Answering this question may require looking up what was going on in the world when it was given.
The world was recovering from the 2008-2009 economic crisis that led millions to lose hope in the government. So, the death of Osama bin Laden was a sign of hope that the government was still capable. Moreover, Barack Obama needed a strong face as he went into the 2012 elections. The economic crisis had disoriented some of his strong supporters, and he needed to bring them back to his side. President Obama stated that it was ten years since the 9/11 attack. Indicating that past presidents failed on this task.
4. Who makes up the rhetorical audience of the speech? (Describe their characteristics and how you know they are the rhetori...