rhetoricalfavor-blog

[rhetoricalfavor-blog]

Zhe Last

Hello hello, it is I, here to talk to you about my second paper. When I read my final draft, it was as the French say, c’est magnifique *insert French double kiss*. I really enjoyed writing this paper. I did mine on President Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. I feel that he did a great job of demonstrating prudence. He was looking out for everyone’s best interest. He was like, help us help you, you attack we attack, we die you die, you don’t want that we don’t want that. Yes President Kennedy wanted global unity but did it really work? He did establish the Peace Corps not even a full two month after his inauguration.

Our book, The Presidency and Rhetorical Leadership edited by Leroy G. Dorsey, talks about “Dawnism: promising that one’s proposed course of action will herald the dawn of a new day.” I was trying decide if President Kennedy uses this concept in his inauguration. He does suggest that his proposed course of action, which is global unity, will herald the dawn of the new day. However he does not promise this to the people, he informs them that this is something the must be worked at in order to attain. Overall I liked the ideals that President Kennedy was suggest. Now that I know more about some of his forms of action I would definitely consider him to be a prudential leader. I believe that he also demonstrates rhetorical leadership very well. He chooses his words very wisely, in such an eloquent manner.  

[rhetoricalfavor-blog]

Ok guys, Rhetorical Favor again, today I’m going to be brainstorming some ideas that I have for my second paper. It’s crazy because a lot of this does apply to my own life, not because I aspire to be president or anything, but I do consider myself to be on the path to becoming a great leader. An apprentice in art of rhetoric and honing my force in discourse *insert light-saber sound effects*. So first of all let me tell what my assignment is supposed to be about. Paper 2 is basically picking a speech by a president which we feel demonstrates prudential leadership.

I know what you’re thinking, what the heck is prudential leadership, right? Rest assured, I will tell you…. what I think it is. I’ve been reading this book assigned by my awesome professor and the editor put’s it as “the practical wisdom to discern the appropriate action in any given case,” Leroy G. Dorsey in The Presidency and Rhetorical Leadership. Rhetorical Favor, yours truly, defines it as the ability to find a happy median for the greater good of all of the people. So the speech that I am choosing to analyze is John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. I still need to do a little more research to find out what was going on during this time in our beloved nation. However, I did read the speech, and this time I read it, in its entirety before my post today! 

I’m picking up the prudential vibes that JFK was putting down.  Like I said, I’m not 100 percent sure as to what was going on in the nation but to me it sounds as if JFK wanted global alliance, “a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind?” I feel that he does use prudence in this speech.  He is continually talking about a happy median that works for the greater good of the people. Within this speech I hear JFK trying to discern the appropriate action for global alliance. Here are a few quotes that I am planning on using in my paper:

Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us. Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. So let us begin anew -- remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do. ..not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need -- not as a call to battle, though embattled we are

One of my classmates, Bri blogomgitsbri, says that a prudential leader is “capable of seeing all of the possible ways in which a particular situation could play out, both long term and short term, which incorporates intellect and wisdom.” Hello?? Does this not sound like the quotes I just listed for you all? Anyway, to be continued!

[rhetoricalfavor-blog]

After paper side effects

Okay, this paper was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. As you all know if you read my first blog that the speech I chose to do was president Johnsons we shall overcome speech. I did a little more research to find out what was going on during that time frame, as I promised, and I found out a lot of good information that was able to help me with support for my paper. Prior to his speech protesters tried to march on Selma due to the fact that they were denied their right to vote as Americans and in an attempt to fight that cause one man was killed by the name of James Reeb. The death of this man was a national crisis and immediately the president responded to it, which is why I categorized this speech under national eulogy. I feel as if had a very strong introduction to my topic. My attention getter was as follows; our nation's greatest enemy resides within the 50 States we know as America. To find out what I mean by this then you will have to read the paper. I feel as if President Johnson's speech was very effective in addressing the national crisis. I feel that the larger issue at hand is discrimination and it is an issue that we have been dealing with for centuries. However looking over the organization of the speech that needed to be done I feel that this speech covered all of the elements that classify a national eulogy. the death of rebe shine a very bright light on a very dark issue and I feel that President Johnson was very effective in reassuring the nation that something must and will be done. Anywho,send me a message if you would likto read my paper! Go #ccprezrhet

[rhetoricalfavor-blog]

Paper One Brainstorm

I have done some reading of historic speeches given by past presidents of the United States from James Madison’s War Message to Congress, to Eisenhower’s Farewell address. I think the speech that I would like to choose for the Genre Rhetorical Analysis Paper is Lyndon Johnson’s We Shall Overcome speech. The genre that I would like to tie this speech into is National Eulogy. I would like to look into the events that were going on during the time frame of this speech. As it has been said before “the president must be able to speak for the nation,” (Campbell and Jamieson).

How can one president identify themselves with a nation, when a nation consists of so many different people with a wide range of beliefs and attitudes? The rhetorical presidency is affirming, reassuring and malleable but still must be handled with delicacy. In a time of national crisis the president must be able to approach “the people” and reassure them that action will be taken for the greater good of the people. In Selma, crisis out broke that affected the entire nation. Tensions of racism began to lead to violence and harm for the African American race.

How does a president unify a nation that is divided? Some people do not like change, change opens the door to the unknown. Others strongly desire change, change opens the door to opportunity. I feel that because the rhetorical presidency holds so much power in discourse, it is expected to be precise in execution. If at any point in the presidential rhetoric is weak or offensive, then chaos erupts across the nation.  I have not read the We Shall overcome speech in its entirety. However, I did pull out a few sentences that I feel support my ideas for genre classification.

A national crisis: “There, long-suffering men and women peacefully protested the denial of their rights as Americans. Many were brutally assaulted. One good man, a man of God, was killed.”

Johnson: I want to be the President who educated young children to the wonders of their world. I want to be the President who helped to feed the hungry and to prepare them to be taxpayers instead of taxeaters.

I want to be the President who helped the poor to find their own way and who protected the right of every citizen to vote in every election.

I want to be the President who helped to end hatred among his fellow men and who promoted love among the people of all races and all regions and all parties.

I want to be the President who helped to end war among the brothers of this earth.

To be continued…