Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Speech and Rhetorical Studies
Campaign Apologia As Process: Dan Quayle's Defense Of His National Guard Service, Paula Harrison
Campaign Apologia As Process: Dan Quayle's Defense Of His National Guard Service, Paula Harrison
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
This thesis contains an analysis of apologia from the 1988 national presidential campaign which resulted from Republican vice-presidential candidate Dan Quayle's disclosure that he served in the National Guard during the Vietnam War. Quayle's revelation created a "gaffe sequence" played out in the media over a period of approximately two weeks. The rhetorical situation dictated the use of an eclectic methodology to evaluate apologia generated in response to media questions about Quayle's avoidance of active military service.
Quayle's defense included minimalizing the issue through avoidance and denial during staged and spontaneous contact with the media, and also the rhetorical support …
The Rhetoric Of Rescue, Mary Blakeman
The Rhetoric Of Rescue, Mary Blakeman
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
This thesis examines the television reporters' verbal depictions of two rescue events, the rescue of Jessica McClure in 1987 and the rescue of three whales at Pt. Barrow, Alaska in 1988, in order to discover what rhetorical techniques were used to appeal to the public interest. Analog criticism, metaphorical analysis and pentadic analysis were used to discover the dominant language reporters chose. Three main conclusions were drawn from this analysis: (1) use of the dramatistic pentad showed how reporters focused public attention away from the purpose,(2) verbal and visual depictions cannot be separated when studying television news stories and (3) …
The Bush Administration And The War On Drugs: An Exploratory Weaverian Rhetorical Analysis Of Ultimate Terms And Arguments As Weapons In The War On Drugs, James R. Conley
The Bush Administration And The War On Drugs: An Exploratory Weaverian Rhetorical Analysis Of Ultimate Terms And Arguments As Weapons In The War On Drugs, James R. Conley
Masters Theses
One of the least studied trends in contemporary rhetorical discourse is what Richard Weaver called the ultimate "devil term,"--words which serve as the ultimate symbols of repulsion and repellant. Weaver claimed that the word "communist" was the ultimate devil term in the 1950s. However, it is the belief of this author that the new ultimate devil term of the 1990s is the word "drug."
This study sought to determine whether or not a shift in ultimate terms had occurred by examining the speeches of President George Bush and other members of his Administration associated with the war on drugs. A …