The following example illustrates the double-sided
nature of the rhetorical situation. On September 11,
2001, the nation watched in horror as two commercial
airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center in
New York City. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon
in Washington, D.C. A fourth plane, thought to
be headed for another national landmark, crashed in
a field in Pennsylvania, following heroic efforts by the
passengers to thwart the hijackers’ plans. Thousands
of lives were lost in the crashes and the destruction
of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, from
office personnel to rescue workers. This was the single
deadliest act of terrorism on U.S. soil in history.
Americans needed to know what their government
was doing to protect them