Politicians in the United States have a lot of power and responsibility. Not just in the government, but in society also. When there is a crisis in the country, people turn to the government leaders for action as well as emotional comfort. The people want the leaders to let them know that everything will be okay. That is why these leaders can be so helpful for citizens. This security for humans is huge. Two very impactful speeches by politicians during emergency situations are Robert F. Kennedy after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks. RFK and George W. Bush had similar issues to address, and used tone/emotion, different texts to back up their claims, and impactful endings to give great speeches given their specific tragedy and helped to heal a wounded America. 

As society changes and evolves over time, so does the situations and threats of a nation. In the 1960s, civil rights were a hot and quite controversial issue that the government had to handle quickly. In the 21st century for America, terrorism has essentially come to be the most important issue for the government, especially after the 9/11 and Paris attacks. Both RFK and George W. Bush have had, in their respective time periods, huge issues that they have had to deal with immediately. Also, both of these cases have involved racial tensions. In the 1960s, it was the relationship between African-Americans and Caucasians that was strained to say the least. Today, it is Americans and Middle Easterners that have developed anger against each other. And right now, neither relationship has been healed. The times might be different, but these societal emergencies are almost identical to each other. However, one difference between the two is that in the RFK speech, it involved a domestic issue inside America. George W. Bush had an international problem that has become a global challenge today. With this external issue, George W. Bush had to be very careful in his speech because his words would be heard by not just America, but worldwide. Therefore, he needed to be cautious because if he said anything wrong or offensive to anyone, it could affect the diplomatic status of countries around the world. The only other difference in the speeches is that George W. Bush was the president at the time, while RFK was only a presidential candidate. As a candidate, RFK needed to be careful in his speech to not offend a group of Americans because he needed votes from the people later on for the election. The last thing a presidential candidate wants is a part of the population against them, as this could mean they lose precious votes. It is clear that these respective tragedies were quite similar, and even the differences resulted in politicians that must be careful as to what they say. While the issues were alike, so were the aspects of the speeches. 

When analyzing a speaker, an important part to look at is their tone. Tone sets the mood for the speech, and various tones will alter how people feel while hearing it. Robert F. Kennedy was quite emotional in his speech, and had an imploring tone in his voice as he talked. He asks for love and compassion and understanding with one another, but from the tone it almost sounds like he is begging the audience to listen to him. As a listener, this tone will captivate you because of how passionate he is on the subject. His pleading voice really makes an audience hone in to what he is saying, and it makes the listener want to do what RFK says. Considering the situation given, this tone is key to make the speech successful for RFK. He does not want any more violence, and knows that some African-Americans will want to retaliate after the murder of MLK. Therefore, it is a must for RFK to speak and use this imploring tone to get the audience to listen to him for peace and understanding. On the contrary, George W. Bush is very calm in his speech, and has very little tone in his voice. This tells the audience that he believes in what he is saying and very serious about it. This is perfect for the speech under the given circumstances. The 9/11 attacks were unprecedented for the United States, and a lot of Americans were scared after this event occurred. Bush knew this and understood that terrorism was now a very serious problem, and should be treated as such. This tone is also used to help calm the public, and let them know that everything will be okay. Citizens took comfort in the unperturbed voice of the president, and felt better after listening to him speak. This is not the only thing RFK and George W. Bush do brilliantly in their speeches.

While speaking to an audience, it is important to use other sources to help enhance the speakers' speech. Both Robert F. Kennedy and George W. Bush use outside texts and call for God's help. RFK quotes the Greek philosopher Aeschylus, saying that with pain comes wisdom from God himself. This quote coincides with what RFK was talking about when he said that society needs understanding and love, not hatred and anger. The audience responds better to outside sources besides just the speaker, so for RFK to mention this quote while giving an impromptu speech shows how intelligent he is and how well he can influence an audience. George W. Bush mentions a verse from the Bible that says "I fear no evil, for You are with me." Bush is telling the United States to not be afraid from the 9/11 attacks, and that life will move forward from this event. He knows that the American people are looking for answers to this tragedy, and he does just that. He also mentions that not only are military personnel helping domestically, but internationally the search for the people responsible for the assault has already begun. It takes a great president to understand what the citizens want and act accordingly. For Bush to do this so quickly shows his willingness to answer to events for the good of the nation and to help the people. There is one more key piece to these speeches to make them great.

The content of a speech is vital, but the endings of a lecture are just as important. This is what the audience will remember the best because it is the last words a speaker says. Endings can define a speech in the eyes of the listeners. Both RFK and George W. Bush use positive thinking in their final words that resonates with the audience. RFK describes how America has faced difficult times before, and will face more difficult times in the future. But in the end, most people in the United States just want to live together with justice for all. This is critical to say because people only remember the extreme cases where race has been an issue, not how almost always race is not a problem. It is easy to focus on the bad, and not be thankful for the good. This sticks with the crowd, and simmers down the anger surrounding many African-Americans. Therefore, this ending worked to perfection. George W. Bush has a different ending for his speech, as he tells the country that we will defend our freedom and stand up to our enemies. For many scared citizens at the time, this is exactly what they wanted to hear. For the people to know that the attackers will be challenged and brought down, this brings a sigh of relief to them. Bush knew how Americans were feeling, and his patriotic statements energized the United States and helped to heal the wounded country. Both endings to these speeches cannot be overstated as to how significant they were to society.         

Overall, these politicians did an outstanding job of speaking and handling their respective emergencies for America. Without them speaking, both situations could have gone from bad to worse. The night of the MLK assassination, there were riots across the country. One city that did not participate in this was Indianapolis. Robert F. Kennedy has been given a lot of credit for this, as his speech in Indy helped to calm the people at the time. George W. Bush had this similar effect, as America greatly benefited from his speech and helped the people move on from the horrendous tragedy. Leaders are meant to help people during times of need, and a politician's speech like Robert F. Kennedy and George W. Bush can do just that. Political leaders are questioned by the public a lot, but there is no denying how beneficial they can be to society. 

