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
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/35776 |
| Date | 04 May 1994 |
| Creators | Bruno, Edward Louis |
| Contributors | Moore, Mark P. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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