Rhetoric and the News

Though we began this topic some time ago with the Presidential election, how does television news contain a rhetorical strategy? Is there a specific bias when it comes to reporting the news? Why has the newspaper suffered serious decline and television news is on the upswing?

Answer these questions and any others you may have in a three-paragraph blog response. Also, make sure to read "The News" by Neil Postman on page 426 in the Freshman textbook. (You may also be able to find it online via search engine). Be specific and use the Internet as a resource. Cite where necessary.

Shelby Steele's "On Being Black and Middle Class"

How does Steele combine issues of race and class rhetorically? What sort of tropes or devices does she use to make this combination? How can issues of race and class be described in the same way?

Answer ALL these questions in your response!!

Obama's Speech on Race (3-18-08)

Read Barack Obama's Speech on Race (you can find at my website) and answer ONE of the following questions:

1) What is the rhetorical effect of Obama quoting Faulkner's statement, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past"?

2) What is Obama trying to equate when he says "The church contains in full kindness and cruelty" and "the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday"?

3) How does Obama think the issue of race will be overcome? What ideas does he use to support his claim?

Pick ONE of these questions and answer with a three-paragraph response.

Race and the Election

Given Barack Obama's election to the Presidency, race remains an important issue in our country. Do you believe that this election changed the issue of race? Why or why not? Write at least three paragraphs explaining your answer and you may use sources if you feel necessary. Please cite them if you do.

Visual Rhetoric in Politics

Find a television advertisement for or against a political candidate in the upcoming election (use the internet to find those videos). Analyze the video for AT LEAST TWO (2) instances of visual rhetoric. (Use Barack Obama's video last night if you would like. Search Obama's website to view a portion of the video.) Questions to consider: 1) What does the setting of the advertisement tell us? 2) What sort of language is used to portray the lead candidate or the opposing candidate? 3) What kind of tropes are employed (if applicable)?

Use those questions to help you write a two-paragraph blog entry.

Tropes in Political Rhetoric

In the person you've chosen for your Unit Paper, select ONE of the tropes that person uses in one of his/her speeches. Explain the importance of the use of that trope and how effective that trope is in reaching the audience.

The Rhetoric of War

How have past presidents or political figures called for war? What kind of language have they used to promote or argue for war? How about those who have argued or spoken for peace? Compare contrast the language and use of tropes between peace rhetoric & war rhetoric. Use the current conflict or one from the past it you are more comfortable with history!

Politics, the Media, and the Candlestick-Maker

Given the recent presidential debate, locate on the Internet some news soundbytes regarding one of the candidates for President (Obama or McCain). Also, find some related discussions of that news soundbyte and examine for rhetorical slant or specific bias. Make sure TO CITE your sources for EVERYTHING YOU POST!!

How far we've come to travel so near!!

Given our recent viewing and readings of the political landscape of the founding of our current republic, what conclusions can you make about the use of rhetoric in politics? How has rhetoric continued to be a factor in our elections and in our perceptions of political figures? Answer BOTH those questions by using the Federalist/Anti-Federalist arguments we read in class yesterday combined with your current knowledge and expertise of the political situation in our own time.

BE SPECIFIC by citing the text DIRECTLY. If you are referring to something more recent (Obama, McCain, etc), please use the Internet and CITE DIRECTLY giving the website where you obtained the information you used.

Language and Marxism

Frederich Engels wrote The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1845. Describe in this entry, the specific tone and diction of this passage. MAKE SURE to USE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT. Highlight and underline if necessary. PICK AT LEAST TWO (2) EXAMPLES FROM THE READING to discuss in your blog entry.

Philosophy and Rhetoric

How do you think current philosophy (meaning the philosophy surrounding a specific rhetoric in terms of time) affects that rhetoric? What about the inverse? How can rhetoric change given a shift in temporal (meaning time related) thought or philosophy? Pick ONE clear example of a how philosophy and rhetoric have affected each other, and use at least ONE resource, i.e. the Internet, the library, books, etc.

Learning and Rhetoric

Given our recent reading, how is the rhetoric of the Renaissance different from classical rhetoric? How has the end result or purpose of rhetoric changed from ancient times until around 1600? Use specific examples from any and all of the texts you've read so far. Your response should be roughly two paragraphs.

Blog Entry #2--Truth versus Persuasion

Given our recent readings of Cicero and Quintilian, how do you determine the actual function of speech? Do you agree with Plato that speech is in fact the sharing of knowledge and truth among human beings? Or do you side with Cicero that speech is entirely a persuasive act aligned with truth but separated from it? Argue for one side or the other given your knowledge of the readings and research some internet sources for similar ideas on speech. Cite specific examples in the text you've read to bolster your response.

Make sure that your response is AT LEAST two (2) paragraphs long. Type it into a Microsoft Word document and paste it into the comment box if necessary.

Blog Entry #1--Plato vs. Aristotle

Blog Entry #1—How do Plato and Aristotle disagree about rhetoric? What might be a modern-day example of the kind of rhetoric Aristotle describes in his work? What might be a modern-day example of Plato's rhetoric?