Frihetens kamp mot ondskan. Nationellt meningsskapande i USA efter den 11 september 2001

Sammanfattning: This is a paper about the process of creating meaning in speeches held by president Bush after the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001. People need tools to orient and understand the surrounding world. They need to create a meaningful orientation in a chaotic world. Some meaning is favoured due to the prevailing social structures. Thru language discourses are produced that helps us understand how the world is constructed. The national state is a discourse that make the world understandable. The discourse create a natural perception of the world as divided into nations. A grand narrative is a story that explain incomprehensive occurrences in society. In times of war these stories become crucial. It is necessary to demonise the enemy to legitimise ones actions. In the US a myth of origin is built around the concept of Manifest Destiny. The myth constitutes that the nation has a unique mission from God to save the rest of the world. In the story retelling the events of September 11th president Bush presents a solution to the problem of terrorists threatening to divide the nation. The nation is constantly on the brink of falling apart. The solution is unity. President Bush recreate the story of USA and the terrorist attacks in a meaningful way, and portrays the nation as a natural entity. The enemy is the evil force that unites the nation.