The epistemological foundation for Cicero's litigation strategies

Cicero recognized the benefits that a forensic orator could receive from a cooperative study of rhetoric and philosophy. This work isolates and examines two aspects of philosophy—dialectic and ethics —that were particularly important to the courts of the Republic.     

Rhetorical invention in colonial New England

Ralph Waldo Emerson's theory of public address may be characterized as a rhetoric of provocation. Emerson did not see truth as encompassed by the human mind, set down in a book, or defended by logic. It is a state of mind, an attitude of searching for and listening to the voice within, the voice of God. The preacher‐orator cannot communicate truth directly to other men; he can only provoke them into searching for it on their own. The philosopher, orator, or preacher was, for Emerson, “only a more or less awkward translator” of ideas already in the consciousness of his audience. An orator functions as a “divining‐rod” to the deeper nature of men, lifting them above themselves and creating within them as appetite for truth.     

Rhetorical sensitivity and social interaction

Contemporary attitudes toward communication can be viewed as two‐dimensional—expressive and instrumental. The argument of this article is that the instrumental, or as we would label it, the rhetorical approach, best promises to facilitate human understanding and to effect social cohesion. Five characteristics of rhetorical sensitivity are described. These are features which, if incorporated and operationalized in discourse, can help men make the most of social interactions. The rhetorically sensitive person (a) tries to accept role‐taking as part of the human condition, (b) attempts to avoid stylized verbal behavior, (c) is characteristically willing to undergo the strain of adaptation, (d) seeks to distinguish between all information and that information acceptable for communication, and (e) tries to understand that an idea can be rendered in multi‐form ways.     

Rhetorical functions of the infestation metaphor in Hitler's rhetoric

After offering a metacritical commentary on the rhetorical and epistemological functions of metaphor, drawing on the work of Edwin Black and Susan Sontag, this essay examines Hitler's metaphorical characterizations of Jews as exogenous threats to the German national body.     

程序修辞:游戏研究的修辞学范式

游戏如何在人们的欲望维度展现出巨大的魔力,又如何将程序系统"悬置"起来而为玩家创设一个看似自由的"幻想世界"?这些问题本质上涉及到游戏的修辞学问题。关于游戏的形式与结构,长期以来存在两种研究范式,分别是强调"表征"的叙事学(narratology)范式和强调"规则"的游戏学(ludology)范式。试图平息"叙事"与"规则"之争的"程序修辞"理论,则沿袭了修辞学传统的认识论和方法论,将"程序性"(procedurality)视为游戏的本质所在,并围绕"程序修辞"这一核心概念开启了游戏研究的修辞学范式。所谓程序修辞,主要是指通过对游戏规则及其符码表征体系的策略性设计,以达到既定游戏目的的修辞行为与实践。概括而言,修辞学范式下游戏研究的问题域主要体现在五个方面:修辞语言维度的程序修辞规则问题、修辞策略维度的程序修辞设计问题、修辞实践维度的程序修辞互动问题、修辞批评维度的程序修辞批判问题、修辞伦理维度的程序修辞道德问题。在程序修辞的知识结构中,游戏本质上体现为一个包含了游戏叙事、游戏规则和游戏玩家的"三体问题",而"三体"内部不同的主导结构、强弱关系或设计偏向揭示了三种不同的游戏机制。     

Intersections: Teaching Research Through a Rhetorical Lens

Use of a rhetorical framework provides an effective tool for teaching undergraduate students the research process. The authors, a reference librarian and a writing instructor, explore a teaching strategy (model) that has evolved through their work in an undergraduate writing course. The three-stage model introduces students to their field of research as eavesdropping on, then entering into, and finally engaging with an ongoing scholarly conversation.     

Visualizing the Rhetorical Presidency: Barack Obama in the Situation Room

On the night of May 1, 2011, almost 10 years after the 9/11 attacks, President Obama announced on live television that Osama bin Laden was dead. The next day, the Situation Room photograph was released, revealing a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how tense it was at the White House while the mission was underway. Building on previous scholarship about the rhetorical presidency and visual rhetoric, this essay analyzes how the photograph, combined with the context of Obama's speech the night of the raid, contributes to the increasingly visual aspect of the rhetorical presidency and creates an image of Obama as a strong commander in chief.     

电影《一个和八个》造型意象的修辞学分析

《一个和八个》是中国＂第五代＂电影的第一部影片,却是宣告了一个电影时代的开始,尤其是它在造型意象方面的＂标新立异＂,开创了中国电影的影像美学时代。它的造型美学创造,一是从不完整构图到完整构图,二是色彩蒙太奇及其情绪结构线,三是镜头运动处理方法,四是声音造型语言与环境主题,并不断地为以后＂第五代＂电影所反复演绎,成为＂第五代＂镜像语言的典型标识。     

Interface of Political Opportunism and Islamic Extremism in Bangladesh: Rhetorical Identification in Government Response

Critical approaches to study Bangladesh's political development have been widespread, especially in the fields of political science and international relations. What is missing from the existing critical account is an examination of the language that Bangladesh's political leaders use as symbolic means. This paper will critically analyze a rhetorical event, Address to the Nation by Begum Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, at the Fourth Anniversary of the former Alliance Government at Dhaka, Bangladesh on October 10, 2005 Zia , B. K. ( 2005, October, 10 ). [Address to the Nation]. Speech presented at the Fourth Anniversary of the Alliance Government. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Retrieved January 6, 2006, from http://www.mofa.gov.bd/st_prime_minister.htm  [Google Scholar]. The purpose is to investigate the responses of the then Bangladesh government to growing Islamic militancy in the country. Kenneth Burke's concept of identification will be used to this end.     

Kanye West versus Kris Allen: Teaching Rhetorical Structure via Music

Courses: Rhetorical Criticism, Rhetorical Theory, Communication Theory

Objective: Students will explore how the structure of rhetoric affects and changes a message through analyzing two musical interpretations of the same lyrics.     

Psychiatric Power: The Post-Museum as a Site of Rhetorical Alignment

This essay examines Brain: The World Inside Your Head, a traveling museum exhibit sponsored by Pfizer, to show how the dissemination of psychiatric vocabularies aligns corporate and individual interests. The spatial composition of the museum and its interactive exhibits interpellate visitors as active agents capable of expressing their experiences through the scientific vocabularies of contemporary neuroscience. The gentle and benevolent conditioning to a way of thought and a manner of speaking, rather than a “hard sell” approach, makes pharmaceutical remedy an obvious and desirable mode of self care.     

Rhetorical strategies of continuity and change in the music of popular artists over time

This essay analyzes certain aspects of the music of Bruce Springsteen to determine the impact of rhetorical strategies of continuity and change on musical artists’ appeal over time. Three general observations emerged from this analysis. First, Bruce Springsteen's musical stories and styles have undergone several disjunctive shifts during the course of his career. In making these shifts, Springsteen has remained true to himself as a maturing adult without sacrificing listener appeal. Second, musical score strongly impacts the ultimate message conveyed depending on whether it emotionally reinforces or contradicts the lyrical message. Finally, other musical performers should be mindful of the effect of their rhetorical choices regarding (a) the intensity and release patterns they use within a musical score and (b) why, when, and where they might allow their stories or styles to shift, and what effect those shifts are likely to have on the integrated messages they are attempting to communicate.     

Rhetorical criticism of political myth: From Goldwater legend to Reagan mystique

This essay identifies the American Western myth and the myth of the birth of the nation as political myths depicted by Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan in their 1964 and 1980 presidential campaigns respectively. While Goldwater and Reagan rely on the Western myth through 1964 to “define” America and promote political beliefs, Reagan joins the Western myth with the myth of the birth of the nation after Goldwater's resounding defeat to provide a rhetorical ground for moderating his political views and broadening his audience. In the essay, a model of political myth based on form and function is described and then applied to three addresses, one by Goldwater and two by Reagan. Analysis of the speeches reveals a symbiotic relationship between the Western myth and the birth myth that joins individuality with community in a heroic tale of America's growth as a nation. It also shows that Reagan's rhetoric expresses this symbiosis while Goldwater's does not.     

Hello Americans: Paul Harvey and the Rhetorical Construction of Modern Agrarianism

This study examines Paul Harvey, the nation's most popular radio broadcaster, and explains his lasting success through a content analysis of selected broadcasts. Findings reveal that Harvey is a national opinion leader for millions of Americans, urban and rural, who identify with the values of agrarianism. His daily news program emphasizes the importance of the common person through strategic choices in both content and structure. By use of such choices, Harvey presents a predictable and orderly interpretation of the day's events that generates a sense of stability and comfort for his audience.     

Dimensions of Instructor Disclosure: Implications for Rhetorical and Relational Goals of Instruction

There are an array of reasons why instructors view personal disclosures as beneficial for the classroom, including to demonstrate caring and to make content relevant. Using the rhetorical and relational goals of instruction theory as the theoretical model, this study tested the potential for the three dimensions of disclosure (i.e., amount, negativity, relevance) to account for variance in instructor rhetorical goals (i.e., relevance) and relational goals (i.e., caring). The results highlight the importance of relevant instructor disclosures to perceiving an instructor as achieving rhetorical and relational goals within the classroom.