Overview
This is a written assignment where you will analyze a speech for its persuasive effects and textual rhetoric.
Procedure
Choose either the Kennedy ‘Berliner’ speech or the Reagan ‘Brandenburg’ speech and, drawing on one of the methods of rhetorical criticism discussed in this lesson, evaluate the speech. Draw on the appropriate literature for whatever method you choose from the Methods of Rhetorical Criticism Bibliography Download Methods of Rhetorical Criticism Bibliography .
For example, if you wanted to do the Pentadic analysis of the Reagan speech, you could use the Fay & Kuypers analysis of the Kennedy speech as a guide, but you would draw different conclusions about the Reagan text. If you disagreed with one of the speeches, you could do an Ideological critique of it. If you find the Narrative Paradigm helpful in analyzing speeches, consider the use of narrative in either the Reagan or the Kennedy speech. You could analyze both speeches as part of a Genre Study of “American Presidents speaking in Foreign Capitals.” Each speech has become part of our Public Memory, and you could examine one of them as an artifact that people remember, memorialize, and gain current insight from. Both speeches were part of the Cold War, and to the extent that this period in American history was a “social movement,” you could analyze one or the other as part of that Social Movement. Visual Rhetoric is largely missing from the speeches, of course, and so, too, is the perspective of women; you will consider “visual rhetoric” in your Cultural Commonplaces speech, of course, but you could analyze the Reagan or Kennedy speech in terms of the “feminine voice” or in terms of the absence of women in the rhetorical situation. If nothing else, a Close Textual Analysis of one of the speeches would be welcome.
As part of your evaluation of the speech, regardless of the method of analysis, consider how artfully the speech managed the constraints and resources of the Rhetorical Situation as it achieved its purpose. For example:
What was the purpose of this speech? Do you believe the speaker achieved this purpose?
What was the occasion of this address? How did the specific constraints and resources of the place, day, and circumstances help shape the speaker’s remarks?
Who was the audience for this address? What common traits did the audience share? In what way did the speaker adapt the speech to this particular audience?
Briefly research the background of the speaker. How did the speaker overcome the constraints and use the resources of being who he was in this situation?
What types of supporting material and reasoning did the speaker use in this address? Provide examples from the speech of the types you find.
What cultural values and beliefs did the speaker appeal to in the address? Provide examples from the speech to support your observations.
Submission Requirements
Save your paper as, “LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_CAS100C.”
Please complete the assignment in a single Word document and submit it to complete the assignment. All papers should be Word-processed and cited in the style you are most familiar with (such as APA, MLA, or Chicago). Cite at least two scholarly sources related to the method of analysis that you selected to analyze the speech you chose.
Your paper should be approximately 400–600 words, or two to three double-spaced pages, in Times New Roman with 12-point font and indented paragraphs. All papers must be free from typographical and spelling mistakes. Errors of grammar, syntax, and composition affect the assignment grade.
Include a word count in your submission.
Grading
You will be assessed based on your accuracy and completion of the activity. Be sure to complete all parts and subparts of the assignment.
Rubric
