Archives

Volume 2, Issue 1
Spring 2011

• Kevin McClure, The Rhetoric of Disaster: The Presidential Natural Disaster Address As An Emergent Genre.
  –This essay extends and complements prior analyses of the rhetorical presidency by identifying and describing the unique situational and rhetorical features that distinguish presidential natural disaster addresses as a genre, arguing that natural disasters present distinctive circumstances and rhetorical challenges that inspire distinct rhetorical responses.   It begins with a critical discussion that examines the unique situational and rhetorical features in presidential natural disaster addresses.  Next, a historical synopsis and critical analysis tracks the evolutionary progression of presidential discourse on natural disasters and discusses six emergent substantive elements.  Finally, it calls for further rhetorical engagement with the broader phenomena of rhetoric engendered by natural disasters in fields such as the media, politics, and religion. 
• William F. Harlow, Silence As The U.S. Strategic Response to Nigeria’s Elections.
  –The elections in Nigeria in April 2007 resulted in widespread violence and a result generally held to be fraudulent by impartial observers. Nigeria was a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy in Africa during the Bush presidency, and the U.S. administration was largely silent as failed Nigerian elections transferred power from one member of the ruling party to another. This paper examines the U.S. silence after Nigeria’s 2007 elections and argues that silence is an ineffective persuasive tool unless a foreign state is already inclined to support U.S. policy goals. In this case, silence also set a bad precedent for the 2011 elections. 
• Nancy Johnson, Christian Bale’s Account of a Profane Tirade: Salvation or “Bale-out?
  –Actor Christian Bale was caught on audiotape in an extensive profane tirade toward the director of photography while filming on the set of Terminator Salvation.  Seven months later the rant was posted on the Internet.  Amidst a surge of multi-media parodies, Bale made a spontaneous call to the morning show of a local Los Angeles radio station to account for his behavior.  This essay examines Bale’s account according to Benoit’s image restoration typologies.  Bale expressed mortification, and also used a variety of strategies to reduce the offensiveness of the act, which also help serve as an explanation for his behavior.  Feedback to his account is examined to help determine its probable success.  The strategies in Bale’s account are also compared to accounts of other celebrities Benoit has studied. 
• Erika Junhui Yi, Globalizing the Locality: A Cultural Comparison of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
  –The paper is a case study on Ang Lee’s award-winning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, to illustrate that the process of globalization is not simply Westernization/Americanization, but rather a mutually influential process as suggested in glocalization/hybridization theories. I collected film reviews from both the United States and China from different time periods in order to compare the different reactions from American and Chinese audiences, as well as to observe the changes in attitudes toward the film over time. This paper explores the impact of globalization through two different angles. First, the globalization of a local culture, in this case, the Wuxia genre in China. Second, the acceptance of the globalized and altered version of the original local culture.
• Steven D. Cohen, Thomas E. Wei, Daniel C. DeFraia, and Christopher J. Drury, The Music of Speech: Layering Musical Elements to Deliver Powerful Messages.
  –Music and speech are both performance arts. While these two art forms may appear distinct, they share an important characteristic: the power to evoke visceral responses from listeners. Our paper examines the relationship between music and speech and identifies five key musical elements that composers and professional speakers can use to elicit specific emotional reactions from their listeners. Specifically, we explore tempo, dynamics, pitch, timbre, and rhythm in the context of selected musical compositions and public speeches and explain how speakers leverage these elements to deliver powerful, enduring messages.

• Richard Leo Enos, The Professorial Art of Indirection: A Study of Relevant Rhetoric.
  –Essay featured on the Discussion Forum. Please read and post your comments.

Volume 1, Issue 1
Spring 2010

• Kevin A. Stein, “Jewish Antapologia in Response to Mel Gibson’s Multiple Attempts at Absolution.”
  —Many people find racist or discriminatory statements or acts to be more offensive than acts that do not denigrate the character of others, even when those behaviors may be illegal. Is it possible that hateful utterances are so reprehensible that any strategies utilized to counteract their effects are rendered meaningless? This essay discusses Mel Gibson’s attempts to explain or account for his racist comments directed at police officers in Malibu, California. It also examines the Jewish community’s response to Gibson’s comments.
• Adria Y. Goldman and Jim A. Kuypers, “Contrasts in News Coverage: A Qualitative Framing Analysis of ‘A’ List Bloggers and Newspaper Articles Reporting on the Jena 6.”
  —We compare news coverage of the Jena 6 found in “A” list blogs to traditional print news articles. We found that the print articles shared four themes and framed those themes in a similar fashion. Similar themes were found among blog entries, although the framing of those themes broke down along political lines. However, all blogs framed the media’s role in the Jena 6 as negative.
• Nancy J. Legge, “The Paradox of Commitment: Jakob Dylan’s Philosophy in ‘Will It Grow.’”
  —A rhetorical analysis of the ideas and arguments in Jakob Dylan’s song, “Will It Grow.” In a fractured narrative about farming, Dylan addresses philosophical issues about the nature of commitment and the role of fate vs. free will. The engaged audience supplies warrants about perseverance and resolve, thereby providing ways to manage the paradoxes. Watch live performances of the song on youtube: Nissan Sets and at the Austin City Limits Festival.
• William L. Benoit and Jeffrey Delbert, “‘Get A Mac’: Mac vs. PC TV Spots.”
  —This paper examines the texts of 47 ads advocating Mac computers over PCs: “Get a Mac.” We identified three themes addressing the computers and their operating systems and two focusing on the brands’ personified traits. We evaluate this campaign as effectively conceived and executed. Evidence suggests that it may have contributed to an increase in sales of Mac computers. Watch the Mac ads at Apple.com/getamac/ads.
• Bruce Loebs, “Hitler’s Rhetorical Theory.”
  —In 1939 Hitler claimed, “I am conscious that I have no equal in the art of swaying the masses.”  By examining historical texts, including Hitler’s own writings, this paper articulates numerous components of Hitler’s rhetorical theory. One central element was his belief in the power of the spoken word. This was the starting point for Hitler’s belief that rhetoric would play an indispensable role in his quest for power.