The pit, the field and the edifice : a rhetorical analysis of the commemorative 9/11 Ceremonies of September 11, 2002

• Main Author: Hogan, Kevin
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholarly Commons 2006
• Subjects: September 11 Terrorist Attacks; 2001; Memorial rites and ceremonies; Rhetoric Political aspects United States; Communication; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/642; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1641&context=uop_etds

This thesis analyzes the eulogistic and ideological rhetoric generated by the commemoration ceremonies recognizing the first anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. By evaluating these ceremonies generically through a set of established epideictic criteria, a comparison and contrast of form and style in relation to their varying situations and rhetorical constraints was achieved. The intentional introduction of deliberative aspects to epideictic rhetoric was also a focus of this study in an attempt to discern the ideological frameworks employed by the various rhetors responsible for the content of the day's events. By analyzing the tokens and ideographs embedded in the rhetoric of the commemorative speakers, the ideological purposes of the planners and rhetors of the ceremonies were revealed. As a nationally televised, ceremonial event, the 9/11 commemoration failed. The mixed messages contained in the eulogies and the lack of a planned rhetorical strategy resulted in an emotionally engaging but fragmented exercise in public discourse.