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Al Gore Jr. and the rhetoric of self-disclosurePalmer, Scott Aaron 02 June 1993 (has links)
Senator Al Gore Jr. was elected Vice-President of the United States
on November 3, 1992. During many of his public speeches, Gore utilized
a speaking style that differed radically from the style he used in other
political campaigns of his life. This style, which will be called the "rhetoric
of self-disclosure," can be characterized as consisting of a particular
language style that is associated with the self-help movement that became
popular in the United States during the 1980's. This language consists of
phrases and terms such as "co-dependency," "dysfunction," "dysfunctional
families," "denial," and others.
In an attempt to understand the uses and effects of this rhetorical
device, the theories of Edwin Black are used as a critical model. A
combination of two theories, specifically the theories of secrecy and
disclosure and the second persona, produced a unique critical methodology
that generated insight into Gore as a speaker, and the applications of this
unique rhetorical style.
A literature survey provides information not only about Gore's
political and personal history, but also about the growth and success of the
self-help movement in the United States. Included in this review were a
number of public addresses given by Gore in the 1992 campaign, his book
Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, and discussions of the
self-help movement and therapy groups.
The critical evaluation of Gore's public address provides a number of
conclusions. The rhetoric of self-disclosure is rhetorical strategy that has
never been used in American Presidential politics and is a radical departure
from other, more accepted forms of presidential rhetoric. Also, the use of
this strategy gives insight into the character of Gore as a person, a speaker,
and a national political leader. / Graduation date: 1994
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Defusing a Rhetorical Situation through Apologia: Ronald Reagan and the Iran-Contra AffairSutherland, Roxane Yvonne 13 February 1992 (has links)
This thesis examines the manner in which Ronald Reagan responded to the Tower Commission Report concerning his involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair. It explores the following questions: 1) What were the factors leading to a rhetorical situation as defined by the media and which required Ronald Reagan to provide a public response of self-defense; 2) what strategies of apologia did Reagan employ; and 3) how did the media and the White House characterize the outcome of Reagan's speech? Data for analysis were drawn from nationally recognized newspapers that shaped public perception of the Iran-Contra Affair: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Christian Science Monitor. In addition, The Tower Commission Report and Ronald Reagan's March 4, 1987 speech were used as primary texts. It was found that the events of the Iran-Contra Affair qualified as a crisis, and exemplified an exigence needing a response. The thesis demonstrated that the Iran-contra Affair was an appropriate case for study as a rhetorical situation. Analysis demonstrates how Ronald Reagan made full use of the conventional apologetic strategies of denial, bolstering, differentiation, and transcendence to regain lost credibility; moreover, analysis provides further evidence of the utility of genre criticism.
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Reverend Jesse Jackson's rhetorical strategy : a case for the functional role of NarratioBruno, Edward Louis 04 May 1994 (has links)
The purpose of this study is to investigate the
rhetorical strategies used by Reverend Jesse L. Jackson
from the 1970's to the 1990's. Specifically, this study
examines Jackson's use of narrative to empower himself, his
constituency, and his political ideologies without
possessing a traditional political platform. Jackson
raised political and social consciousness regarding the
positions he held by telling persuasive, strategically
constructed narratives. By examining Jackson's narrated
approach to politics, arguments can be constructed to
demonstrate how Jackson rhetorically operates from an
unorthodox platform in the political arena. A
functionalist view of narrative, as defined by Lucaites and
Condit (1985), is applied to Jackson's 1984, 1988, and 1992
Democratic National Convention addresses in order to
account for "tangible" objectives being carried out by the
narrative discourse form. In doing so, the study argues
that Jackson's narratives initially functioned: to empower
Jackson and the Rainbow Coalition; to bolster public
approval ratings of Jackson from 30% to 54%; and later to
promote Statehood for Washington D.C. / Graduation date: 1994
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Ideological campaign rhetoric and its effectsGlobetti, Suzanne 09 June 2011 (has links)
Not available / text
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McCarthyism: an Analysis of the Leadership and Rhetorical Strategies of Agitation and ControlPalmer, Deborah K. 12 1900 (has links)
This study analyzes the leadership qualities of Joseph McCarthy and the rhetorical qualities of agitative and control forces in a specific social movement. The methods used are founded upon various theories outlined by sociologists, historians, and rhetoricians. This investigation is organized around the climate of the times, McCarthy's leadership development, agitative strategies, control group responses, and support and opposition groups.
It was found that the movement's success was probably due to McCarthy's position of attack and offense and to the control group's failure to neither strongly confront McCarthy nor to maintain its preparedness and superiority. It is theorized that had the control group engaged earlier in strategies other than adjustment and avoidance, the movement might have been halted sooner.
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Unveiling the rhetoric of torture : Abu Ghraib and American national identity / Abu Ghraib and American national identityDavis, Amanda Jean, 1980- 29 August 2008 (has links)
This dissertation is guided by three central questions: Why did the Abu Ghraib photographs fail to generate widespread opposition to the Iraq War among U.S. citizens? How did U.S. political leaders, news media, and entertainment media rhetorically manage the impact of the violence at Abu Ghraib? Finally, what can the tortures at Abu Ghraib tell us about commitment to national identity and justifications for violence? I argue that the primary rhetorical, ideological work of national violence against a foreign other is to create and protect national identification that deflects potential critique of national policy and discourages alternative allegiances (e.g., those of race and class). In support of this argument, I analyze four sets of texts surrounding the scandal. First, I analyze the Abu Ghraib photographs. These photographs, revealing torture of Iraqi detainees by U.S. troops, posed a serious challenge to American national identity and the prevailing rationale for war: namely, that the U.S. would liberate Iraqis from a torturous dictator and the threat of terrorism. The remaining types of discourse, then, can be seen as rhetorical attempts at damage control, containing and softening the edges of the visual records of violence against an enemy Other. For example, the second set of discourses I examine contains the legal memoranda outlining U.S. "coercive interrogation practices" dating back to September 2001. I compare these documents to the political speeches made by public officials during the 2004 presidential campaign. These texts, I argue, provide insight into the Abu Ghraib scandal's political context and illustrate how the scandal was ultimately managed by the Bush administration as a matter of private authority and prerogative rather than public accountability. Third, I explore mainstream media reports concerning Abu Ghraib in order to come to a better understanding of how violence is framed for public consumption. And finally, I analyze depictions of the torture within the popular television series 24. Because 24's plotline deals with issues of torture and terrorist threat, I argue that it can help us better understand both the social climate in which the Abu Ghraib scandal emerged and our current climate in which torture is still very much an issue. / text
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Bitzer's model of the rhetorical situation as examined through restoration rhetoric of the Posse Comitatus and the Republic of Texas / Common law rhetoricMorris, Michael R. January 2001 (has links)
This thesis examines Bitzer's model of the rhetorical situation by using it, in combination with elements of Bormann's fantasy theme analysis to perform a criticism of radical right rhetoric. First, it identifies the exigencies that give rise to the sovereignty rhetoric employed by members of the radical right. This analysis then determines whether the speech meets the needs of its intended audience. To accomplish this task, two websites are analyzed: the Posse Comitatus/Christian Identity website and that of the Republic of Texas, a secessionist, common law/sovereign citizen's site. These websites claim to be the official websites of the two organizations. The analysis is a generative analysis, combining Bitzer's model of rhetorical situation with aspects of Bormann's fantasy theme analysis. Through performing the analysis, weaknesses and areas for improvement in Bitzer's model will be identified.Sovereignty and common law rhetoric comes in many variations, but all revolve around a central principle - that there are two classes of citizenship. United States citizenship is conferred by the Fourteenth Amendment and is accepted by participation in programs such as social security (Nagle, 1996). This form of citizenship is subject to extensive regulation and taxation. However, sovereignty rhetoric focuses on state citizenship. This type of citizenship is conferred by common law and can be recaptured by rejecting U.S. citizenship. Advocates of sovereignty argue that state citizens are not subject to most federal laws and cannot be taxed by the federal government.Why study common law/sovereign citizen rhetoric? There is broad crosspollination among extremist groups, and sovereignty rhetoric is a consistent theme for many of these groups (Shapiro, 1995). For example, individuals convicted of abortion bombings have had militia ties, and tax protestors attend preparedness expos' (Tharp & Holstein, 1997). Likewise, events such as the death of Randy Weaver's wife in the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff, and the 1993 Branch Davidian fire are cited by extremists of numerous ideologies as evidence of a government conspiracy (Dyer, 1997).2 Furthermore, for every camouflage-clothed militia member, there are several amateur attorneys studying old law books, the Constitution and each other's websites in an effort to unravel the meaning of the "true" Constitution (Abanes, 1996).The Posse Comitatus and Republic of Texas websites are useful artifacts because they are clear examples of the types of rhetoric addressed in this study. The present incarnation of the Posse Comitatus merges Posse Comitatus and Christian Identity rhetoric, allowing exploration of the common law rhetoric of both groups through one website. While claiming not to be a militia website, the Republic ofI Preparedness expos offer survivalist training and equipment, firearms, ammunition and common law materials (Tharp & Holstein).Extremists are particularly fascinated by the date April 19, a date on which events ranging from the Revolutionary War to the Branch Davidian fire took place (Stern). In some circles, this date is called Militia Day and has assumed almost religious significance.Texas maintains at least three separate militias and features extensive discussions of common law and sovereign citizen rhetoric.To understand these groups, it is necessary to understand the exigencies that brought them into existence. Bitzer's model of rhetorical situation, with its focus on exigencies, is an excellent tool for understanding the social and economic factors contributing to the growth of these types of groups. However, Bitzer offers only limited insight into how the messages are spread and why people accept them. Bormann's fantasy theme method of analysis helps answer the questions of how the sovereignty/common law message satisfies the rhetorical and psychological needs of the group members. / Department of Communication Studies
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“The gloves are coming off” : a mixed method analysis of the Bush administration’s torture memosNier-Weber, Daneryl M. 06 July 2011 (has links)
This dissertation seeks to delineate some of the
fault lines of the disparate worldviews and assumptions that have polarized our national
discourse, as well as the imbalances of power
they support or disrupt. Building on previous case studies of ideologically oppositional political blogs, the dissertation examines thirty-nine key documents from the website torturingdemocracy.org, primarily legal memos written by Bush Administration lawyers (the “Torture Memos”), to analyze a rhetoric of torture that, as a subset of the war on terror, serves as a “ground zero” of political values and motivations. Further, it seeks to combine
mixed methods of analysis from various disciplines
to help reveal the underlying beliefs and values
that inform current national discourse.
The cross-disciplinary methods combine rhetorical,
linguistic, and critical discourse analyses to
examine and interrogate the language that created
metaphorical and actual spaces in which torture
was legalized, employed, and legitimated. Applying a grounded theory approach to Huckin’s
four levels of linguisticgranularity--context,
text, phrase, and word (including the use of
concordancing software)--the research reveals
the logical fallacies, faulty argumentation,
slippery word usage, linguistic and rhetorical
manipulations, and finally, authoritarian
underpinnings that characterize the memos. The
research further uncovers multiple strategies
used to create the Other, such as Lazar and Lazar’s four micro-strategies of “outcasting”
(criminalization, (e)vilification, orientalization, and enemy construction), and
strategies of minimizing or maximizing the positive and negative traits of in-versus
out-groups in van Dijk’s “ideological square.”
The research shows how, in the language of the
war on terror, words take on different, even
opposite, meanings from previous significations,
shifting the national debate about the legitimacy
of torture as a hypothetical means of protection.
Further, close examination reveals a different
intent behind the memos than the purported
defense of the country used repeatedly to
justify torture. Findings illuminate the memos
as the products of authoritarian followers
who enabled what Altemeyer calls “double
highs”—ideological social dominants with an authoritarian worldview--in a wide-reaching
and largely successful bid for power. Lastly,
the dissertation points to the need to further
investigate and articulate an anti-authoritarian,
social egalitarian worldview as a challenge
to power structures that, enshrined in language,
may constitute a serious threat to democracy. / The great divide -- Review of the literature -- Methods and methodology -- The scene, the agents, their agency and their purpose : conceptions of power and the torture debate -- Torture and the law -- Thirty-nine documents -- The "semantic tap-dance" : discursive, rhetorical and lexico-grammatical strategies in the torture memos -- Constructions of identity -- Constructing torture -- Analysis and conclusions. / Department of English
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The pit, the field and the edifice : a rhetorical analysis of the commemorative 9/11 Ceremonies of September 11, 2002Hogan, Kevin 01 January 2006 (has links)
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.
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"The Buck Stops With Me" : An Analysis of Janet Reno's Defensive Discourse in Response to the Branch Davidian CrisisDavis, Shannon Renee 08 1900 (has links)
This study provides a genre analysis of Janet Reno's apologia in response to the Mt. Carmel disaster. Discussions of the events leading up to the crisis, Reno's rhetorical response, and relevant situational constraints and exigencies are provided.
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