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Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Speech and Rhetorical Studies

"The Most Beautiful Thing In The World": A Rhetorical Analysis Of Relational Dialectics And Friendship In The Musical Kinky Boots, Adam Clayton Moyer, Valerie Lynn Schrader Jul 2021

"The Most Beautiful Thing In The World": A Rhetorical Analysis Of Relational Dialectics And Friendship In The Musical Kinky Boots, Adam Clayton Moyer, Valerie Lynn Schrader

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

In this article, we examine Kinky Boots, a musical that won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2013 and continues to win over audiences with its positive message about acceptance, as a rhetorical text through William K. Rawlins’ theoretical construct of relational dialectics regarding friendship. Through rhetorical criticism as a research method, we apply Rawlins’ concepts of political and personal friendships, as well as the dialectics of affection and instrumentality, expressiveness and protectiveness, judgment and acceptance, and the ideal and the real to examine notable relationships between characters in the musical. Specifically, we examine the relationships between Charlie and …

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As Your Writing And Reading Teacher, Jean Prokott Jul 2021

As Your Writing And Reading Teacher, Jean Prokott

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

AS YOUR WRITING & READING TEACHER, and as a poetry enthusiast (fangirl), I was thinking about you yesterday as I watched Amanda Gorman perform her poem at Biden's inauguration, and then I was really thinking about you, students, as I watched Anderson Cooper interview her last night. I hope so much that you heard the poem, and I would truly love for you to watch the interview: she talks about the task to write a poem, the feel of words over images, the research she did from history and culture to pull this poem together. It is a feat that …

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Myth And The Paris Commune, Katie Brunner Nov 2015

Myth And The Paris Commune, Katie Brunner

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

The Paris Commune of 1871 is an event in history that has had a special place in the hearts of many revolutionaries. Karl Marx called it “the first successful working class revolution”. This paper looks at the events of the Paris Commune, as recounted in a work produced 25 years after the event occurred and, by means of comparison with more recent accounts, examines how it moved from a historical “reality” to a mythic history through the lens of secondary framing and historical mythology. This approach to the Paris Commune reveals many significantly different interpretations; pointing out that the true …

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Unanswered Prayers: A Study Of Apologia For God In The Matter Of Prayer, Dann L. Pierce Esq., Bohn D. Lattin Nov 2015

Unanswered Prayers: A Study Of Apologia For God In The Matter Of Prayer, Dann L. Pierce Esq., Bohn D. Lattin

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Many Christian writers and thinkers take up the vexing issue of unanswered prayer and thereby use various rhetorical strategies to address the intersection of pertinent teaching about prayer, and the disjunctive, problematic life experiences concerning the experience of unanswered pray-er. Our investigation uses the ancient rhetorical genre of apologia as a lens to better understand the tactics and stances taken up by those who seek to guide members of faith communities toward reconciliation between perceived biblical teaching and actual life experiences concerning unan-swered prayer. Our study incorporates an analysis of both the formal and conceptual strategies utilized by rhetors who …

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"A Land Of Make Believe That Don’T Believe In Me": Dissent By Incongruity In Green Day’S "Jesus Of Suburbia", Jansen B. Werner Nov 2015

"A Land Of Make Believe That Don’T Believe In Me": Dissent By Incongruity In Green Day’S "Jesus Of Suburbia", Jansen B. Werner

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks there were increased demands in America for patriotism. This attitude of hyper-patriotism, in accordance with the Bush Administration’s appropriation of the American civil religion, precluded many discursive possibilities for dissent. Yet there were some who still utilized the available outlets of public discourse to dissent from Bush Administration policies. Green Day’s 2004 song, “Jesus of Suburbia,” is just such an exemplary dissent discourse. What follows is divided into four sections. First, I analyze the ideological circumstances which preceded the release of “Jesus of Suburbia.” Second, I reflect on the respective conceptual insights of Ivie’s …

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Viewing Film From A Communication Perspective: Film As Public Relations, Product Placement, And Rhetorical Advocacy In The College Classroom, Robin Patric Clair, Rebekah L. Fox, Jennifer L. Bezek Nov 2015

Viewing Film From A Communication Perspective: Film As Public Relations, Product Placement, And Rhetorical Advocacy In The College Classroom, Robin Patric Clair, Rebekah L. Fox, Jennifer L. Bezek

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Academics approach film from multiple perspectives, including critical, literary, rhetorical, and managerial approaches. Furthermore, and outside of film studies courses, films are frequently used as a pedagogical tool. Their relevance in society as well as their valuable use in the classroom makes them an important and pragmatic medium deserving further attention. The ability of film to be used in a socio-political way may sustain, challenge or change the status quo, which supports studying film as well as teaching students about the power of film. The purpose of this article is to share the development of a course which points out …

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Sex Abuse In The American Catholic Church And The Attempt At Redemption, Jeffrey A. Nelson Nov 2015

Sex Abuse In The American Catholic Church And The Attempt At Redemption, Jeffrey A. Nelson

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

The paper analyzes the apologia of Catholic leaders as they responded to accusations that surfaced in 2002 regarding priestly sex abuse in the United States. A study of the apologetic techniques used is offered, noting particularly bolstering, transcendence, and differentiation. Though it was Catholic leaders themselves who used the differentiation approach in their apologia, in their reaction to that rhetoric the audience members may have been influenced by the media and/or the leaders’ peers. Thus, rhetorical efforts by those two sources also are studied. The investigation concentrates primarily on the four-month period beginning January 9 when coverage was most intense, …

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