Analyzes the rhetoric of the 1850s' Know-Nothing party, the first national political party to use nativism successfully in its platform. Concludes that nativist rhetoric's success and failure lies in ...the traditional values party members used to overcome the constraints traditionally imposed upon the nativist response to the rhetorical situation. (MM)
Performs a Burkean analysis of Russell H. Conwell's once famous speech, "Acres of Diamonds." Reveals that Conwell's success relied upon a masterful transformation of pentadic ratios, in the medium of ...the "true-life" success story. Illustrates this narrative's power in altering an audience's perception of its role in a greater drama. (SR)
Senator Albert Jerimiah Beveridge emerged as a leader in two early twentieth century movements: imperialism and progressivism. He was able to balance the contradictory goals of these movements by ...creating a rhetorical framework that depicted each serving the common end of Anglo-American superiority. Beveridge's success demonstrates that it is possible for rhetors to adapt to changes in the rhetorical situation without surrendering their personal convictions.
Shows how the rhetoric of selected woman humorists from 1820 to 1880 exemplifies the operation of various comic literary reference frames. Asserts that their comic frame disintegrated because these ...writers were unable to foster identification between females and males and failed to provide a world view that could accommodate social change. (MM)
Describes Senator Albert Jerimiah Beveridge as a leader in two early twentieth-century movements: imperialism and progressivism. Indicates that Beveridge's success demonstrates the possibility that ...rhetors can adapt to changes in the rhetorical situation without surrendering their personal convictions. (JK)
John Quincy Adams' Supreme Court argument in the Amistad trial of 1841 is an example of a generic hybrid serving both forensic and deliberative purposes. Adams desired not only to win his case before ...the court, but also to convince a Northern audience to be wary of slavery legislation. He achieved both purposes by premising his arguments upon values held in common by his audiences. Adams' success indicates the importance of the audience in determining the final form of a hybrid.
Uses Kenneth Burke's "comic frame" to interpret and assess Gandhi's leadership of the Indian civil rights movement and to maintain the relevance and usefulness of the civil disobedience to other ...movements. (JD)
The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington, D.C. creates a unique opportunity for the critic to investigate the cycle of guilt and redemption set in motion by the Vietnam War. The Memorial serves ...as a call to eloquence, prompting many visitors to leave messages. The form of the message is determined by the individual's choice of redemptive ritual. The interplay of authors' goals and strategies is reflected in messages which pursue redemption through either scapegoating or mortification.
Traces the rhetorical relationship between the ritual path taken by each rhetor and the types of messages they leave behind at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington D.C., especially in the ...rhetoric "as addressed" to an audience. Reveals the interplay of ritual choice and message. (MS)
