Public Address

'THE PAGES ARE BUGGED': THE POLITICS OF LISTENING IN THE POETRY OF W.S. GRAHAM

by Natalie Pollard

published in The Cambridge Quarterly 39:1 (Spring 2010)

This paper probes the public dimensions of the work of the twentieth-century Scottish poet W. S. Graham. It draws upon... more This paper probes the public dimensions of the work of the twentieth-century Scottish poet W. S. Graham. It draws upon the public contacts and contexts that Graham’s lyrics structure and reconfigure, in texts that have appeared to critics to demonstrate the poet’s textual aloneness, his intellectual and geographical banishment. Repeatedly addressing his St Ives community of artists and writers, lovers and companions, Graham’s work sets up strategic routes through a succession of publicly-minded verbal engagements. Refusing to allow one passively to listen in to the poet’s isolation, the lyrics invite, rebuff, tease, avoid, dally with, and proposition audiences and interlocutors. Graham’s poetry speaks from within and without tradition, location and heritage, subtly attuning readers to the politics of its handling of national allegiance, identity, class and patronag

Political Myth and Social Action: John C. Calhoun

by Roy Schwartzman

Shaping Economic Reality: A Critical Metaphor Analysis of President Barack Obama's Economic Language During His First 100 Days

by Joshua Scacco

Scacco, J.M. (2009). Shaping economic reality: A critical metaphor analysis of President Barack Obama's economic language during his first 100 days. gnovis, 10(1).

This paper analyzes President Barack Obama’s economic language during the first 100 days of his administration. Having... more This paper analyzes President Barack Obama’s economic language during the first 100 days of his administration. Having assumed office during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, Mr. Obama moved quickly to articulate the nature of the recession to the American people. The research illustrates how President Obama metaphorically reframes the role of government to ‘perfect’ inadequacies in the health, stability, and direction of the economy. Within Charteris-Black’s Critical Metaphor Analytic approach, eight major presidential addresses from Barack Obama’s “honeymoon period” were analyzed. This critical approach seeks to reveal covert (and unconscious) intentions through identification of metaphors, interpretation of the conceptual metaphors, and explanation of possible intentions through the interrelation of rival metaphors. Three dominant metaphoric constructions were identified in the data: embodiment/health, foundation/building, and journey/traveling metaphors. These reveal three basic conceptual metaphors Obama applies to the economy: a sick person, an unstable building, and a difficult journey. By mapping these source domains onto his linguistic target – the economy – the president characterizes the crisis, describes his policy initiatives, and details the recession’s duration.

A weekend routine: The functions of the weekly presidential address from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama

by Joshua Scacco

Scacco, J.M. (2011).  A weekend routine: The functions of the weekly presidential address from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama. Electronic Media & Politics, 1(4), 66-88.

Ritualized presidential rhetoric including inaugurals, state of the unions, and farewell addresses has received a... more Ritualized presidential rhetoric including inaugurals, state of the unions, and farewell addresses has received a wealth of research attention. While vital to the rhetorical presidency, more routine communications that convey the “tick tock” of everyday presidential actions have gone largely unnoticed in the scholarly literature. This article focuses on the central area of routine presidential communication: the weekly address. Thirty speeches from the first year of President Clinton, Bush, and Obama’s administrations are analyzed to understand the functions of the address’s routine use. The findings reveal that ideologically disparate presidents approach the weekly routine with a temporal focus that sermonizes to the nation, projects the power of the presidency, and insulates the institution from legislative inaction.

The Racial Contexts of Public Address

by Kirt Wilson

Instrumental and Constitutive Rhetoric in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail"

by Ebony Utley

Published in Rhetoric and Public Affairs with Michael Leff in 2004

Traditional conceptions of rhetorical ethos treat character exclusively as an instru- ment of persuasion, but the... more Traditional conceptions of rhetorical ethos treat character exclusively as an instru- ment of persuasion, but the persona of the rhetor often functions as a means of con- stituting the self in relation to a complex network of social and cultural relationships. This generative function of character becomes especially important in cases where suppressed groups attempt to find rhetorical means to alter their cir- cumstances. Using Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a case study, we argue that the text develops a complex and nuanced construction of King’s character. This construct allows King to criticize his target audience without alienating himself from it and also allows the “eavesdropping” black audience to discover a model for reconstructing their own sense of agency. This constitutive dimension of character occurs simultaneously and in intimate connection with its use as an instrument of persuasion concerning specific issues. Based on this case, we argue that rigid distinctions between instrumental and constitutive functions of rhetoric are misleading and that rhetorical critics should regard the constitution of self and the instrumental uses of character as a fluid relationship.

Barack Obama’s (Im)Perfect Union: An Analysis of the Strategic Successes and Failures in His Speech on Race

by Ebony Utley

Published in The Western Journal of Black Studies with Amy Heyse in 2009

In the midst of the Jeremiah Wright controversy, 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama resolved the... more In the midst of the Jeremiah Wright controversy, 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama resolved the political-personal crisis surrounding his racial politics by rhetorically presenting himself as a post-racial candidate. After reviewing the strategies of other African American politicians, we posit that Obama’s adoption of race-neutral rhetoric in his March 18, 2008, speech, “A More Perfect Union,” was a strategic rhetorical choice at the time. However, we also assert that his post-racial politics were compromised by 1) his presentation of a sanitized version of the United States’ history of racial injustice and 2) a tendency to reify harmful racist stereotypes.

Bill Clinton's "New Partnership" Anecdote: Toward a Post Cold War Foreign Poiicy Rhetoric

by Jason Edwards

co-authored with Joe Valenzano

Kofi Annan traveled to Rwanda in May of 1998 attempting to repair the image of the United Nations (U.N.) and to heal... more Kofi Annan traveled to Rwanda in May of 1998 attempting to repair the image of the United Nations (U.N.) and to heal the fractured political relationship between the two entities. However, the U.N. secretary general largely failed to fulfill his mission. This article analyzes the reasons why Annan's mea culpa failed. It argues that in Annan's address before the Rwandan parliament, his rhetorical choices constrained his ability to repair the U.N.'s image and U.N.-Rwandan relations. Specifically, this article demonstrates that the U.N. leader's nondiscussion of his personal culpability for U.N. action, his democratization of blame for the genocide, and the appearance of personal arrogance created by his language choices hindered his ability to fulfill his mission. The article concludes with implications for image repair theory, lessons from Annan's failure for rhetors who apologize for historical wrongdoing, and directions for further research into the phenomena of public apology.

Community-Focused Apologia in International Affairs: Japanese Prime Minister Tomichi Murayama's Apology

by Jason Edwards

The author examines community-focused apologies within international affairs. Specifically, he argues that this form... more The author examines community-focused apologies within international affairs. Specifically, he argues that this form of rhetoric functions as a rhetorical first step to healing relationships that have been hurt by the transgressions one group committed against another. In international affairs, transnational actors, typically nation-states through their political leaders, articulate community-focused apologia to mend relations between peoples, which may serve build a common path toward peace and deepen relationships between these actors. To illustrate this idea, he uses Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama's 1995 apology for crimes Japan committed during its wartime past. Murayama's apology was an important step in mending relations between Japan and its neighbors. This article provides a better understanding as to the motives and options rhetors may use in apologizing for past injustices and serves to broaden the way we conceptualize the rhetorical genre of apologia.

Sanctioning Foreign Policy: The Rhetorical Use of Harry Truman

by Jason Edwards

This article examines how contemporary presidents invoke the memory of President Harry Truman within their foreign... more This article examines how contemporary presidents invoke the memory of President Harry Truman within their foreign policy discourse. Specifically, it is argued that Truman has become an authorizing figure—a person of historical importance that rhetors invoke and interpret in justifying their own policies and principles. Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Bush cited and interpreted Truman's words and deeds in various ways to serve different foreign policy ends. Exploring how contemporary presidents use and appropriate Truman's memory presents an opportunity to mine the contour of the thirty-third president's foreign policy legacy and to obtain a better understanding of collective memory in presidential rhetoric.

Defining the Enemy in the Post-Cold War World: Bill Clinton's Foreign Policy Rhetoric in Somalia and Haiti

by Jason Edwards

American presidents use images of savagery to identify and construct America’s
adversaries, especially prior to... more American presidents use images of savagery to identify and construct America’s
adversaries, especially prior to and during some form of armed intervention. During the
Cold War, presidents used images of modern savagery to craft a Soviet enemy and its
proxies. In the post-Cold War world, Bill Clinton did not have the luxury of a monolithic
enemy to organize American foreign policy. He faced a threat environment that was
more complex, transnational, and diffuse. Within this environment, I argue Clinton used
images of primitive and modern savagery to define America’s adversaries. An analysis
of Clinton’s discourse reveals that his use of both of these rhetorical forms broadened
how presidents construct America’s enemies. Moreover, the use of both images of
savagery provided a rhetorical flexibility that was needed for the threat environment of
the post-Cold War world. This essay contributes to deeper understandings of
presidential rhetoric in general and crisis rhetoric in particular.

The Mission of Healing: Kofi Annan's Failed Apology

by Jason Edwards

Kofi Annan traveled to Rwanda in May of 1998 attempting to repair the image of the United Nations (U.N.) and to heal... more Kofi Annan traveled to Rwanda in May of 1998 attempting to repair the image of the United Nations (U.N.) and to heal the fractured political relationship between the two entities. However, the U.N. secretary general largely failed to fulfill his mission. This article analyzes the reasons why Annan's mea culpa failed. It argues that in Annan's address before the Rwandan parliament, his rhetorical choices constrained his ability to repair the U.N.'s image and U.N.-Rwandan relations. Specifically, this article demonstrates that the U.N. leader's nondiscussion of his personal culpability for U.N. action, his democratization of blame for the genocide, and the appearance of personal arrogance created by his language choices hindered his ability to fulfill his mission. The article concludes with implications for image repair theory, lessons from Annan's failure for rhetors who apologize for historical wrongdoing, and directions for further research into the phenomena of public apology.

Apologizing for the Past for a Better Future: Collective Apologies in the United States, Australia, and Canada

by Jason Edwards

This article examines the rhetorical phenomenon of collective apology. Specifically, collective
apologies issued... more This article examines the rhetorical phenomenon of collective apology. Specifically, collective
apologies issued by American President Bill Clinton, Australian Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper were analyzed inductively
to determine the purposes and strategies that make up these speeches. This inductive
approach reveals that the purpose of collective apologies is to repair relationships
damaged by historical wrongdoing. Moreover, it is found that rhetors use the rhetorical
strategies of remembrance, mortification, and corrective action. Ultimately, this research
lays the groundwork for collective apology to be considered a distinct rhetorical genre.

Debating America's Role in the World: Representative Ron Paul's Exceptionalism Jeremiad

by Jason Edwards

This essay examines Texas representative Ron Paul’s foreign policy discourse during
the 2008 presidential... more This essay examines Texas representative Ron Paul’s foreign policy discourse during
the 2008 presidential campaign. The author argues that Paul encased his opposition
to America’s foreign policy within a secular jeremiad. Although Paul failed to win
any of the Republican primaries, his opposition to America’s involvement with Iraq
and other parts of the globe is a microcosm of a larger debate occurring among U.S.
foreign policy elites on the extent of America’s role within the world and about the
very nature of its exceptional status. This analysis informs a theoretical understanding
of American exceptionalism and interrogates a larger debate in U.S. foreign policy.

Redress for Old Wounds: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Apology for the Chinese Head Tax

by Jason Edwards

This essay examines how political leaders apologize for historical injustices.
Specifically, we analyze Canadian... more This essay examines how political leaders apologize for historical injustices.
Specifically, we analyze Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology for
the head tax imposed upon Chinese immigrants. The prime minister’s apology was
historic in that it marked the first time a Canadian Prime Minister formally
apologized for the head tax. We argue that Harper used a combination of the
frontier myth and collective apology rhetoric in his expression of remorse toward
the Chinese-Canadian community. While controversial, this rhetoric created a
discursive space for a constructive and strengthened relationship between the
Chinese-Canadian community and the Canadian government.

“We Have Nothing to Fear But…”: A Rhetorical Analysis of Fear in Post 9-11 Sermons, “ Chapter 3 (pp. 67-89)

by Mark Gring

in Catherine Chaput, Mary Jean Braun, and Danika M. Brown (Eds) Entertaining Fear: Rhetoric and the Political Economy of Social Control, Peter Lang Publishers, 2009

Taking Public Address Seriously: A Graduate Students Response

by Jon Torn

Forum: The Seventh Annual Public Address Conference. Rhetoric & Public Affairs; Fall2001, Vol. 4 Issue 3, p515-524, 10p

methodologies, while obviously epistemologically and politically loaded, evolve. If objects are not static, neither... more methodologies, while obviously epistemologically and politically loaded, evolve. If objects are not static, neither are methodologies. Often methodological debates are ratcheted up a notch through totalizing claims that purport to fix those methodologies in ideological space. Such a heavily charged aura of debate can have a chilling effect on the development of graduate students who may reject a methodology out of hand because of its "conservative" or "radical" connotations. While deep investment with a particular set of objects creates the sort of detailed, thickly evocative work that gets read and advances our understanding, methodological fundamentalisms can only lead to critical stasis.

Founding Fictions in Power Point

by Jennifer Mercieca

The Culture of Honor: How Slaveholders Responded to the Abolitionist Mail Crisis of 1835

by Jennifer Mercieca

The Irony of the Democratic Style

by Jennifer Mercieca