Final Rhetorical Criticism Paper
The categories that are used most in this speech are pathos, logos and aesthetic choices/stylistic choices. These three are the most important ones because they are the ones that backed up his warning and proved his point. Aesthetic choices/stylistic choices drilled the message into the listeners and made his speech stick with them for a long time while pathos made it a personal matter and logos made the decisions that would come from a speech at least seem rational.
He chose these because he knew that Americans were proud. They would not stand to see their country fall to anything. He also knew that they would listen if they understood what was being said. They were effective choices because they were being used in the most useful way that they could be. They were put to good use without misusing them and therefore making them ineffective. In this paper I will use the method of criticism called Neo-Aristotelian criticism. I will begin with an explanation about the method and a justification for using it. Then, I will use the method to analyze Eisenhower’s farewell address. Finally, I will conclude this paper by explaining whether or not Eisenhower’s speech was a success or failure.
Explanation of Methodology
There are two main questions that Neo-Aristotelian criticism is revolved around – (1) Did the speech evoke the intended response from the immediate audience? And (2) Did the rhetor use the available means of persuasion to achieve the desired response? There are three steps that are used to answer these questions – (1) Examine the context surrounding the rhetorical artifact, (2) Analyze the piece of rhetoric and (3) Determine the impact of the rhetoric on the audience and how this relates to the rhetor’s choices of persuasion. Step one involves understanding the situation of the location where the speech was given. By understanding the context and situation it can be understood the way that the rhetoric is shaped. Step two is the analysis of the
He chose these because he knew that Americans were proud. They would not stand to see their country fall to anything. He also knew that they would listen if they understood what was being said. They were effective choices because they were being used in the most useful way that they could be. They were put to good use without misusing them and therefore making them ineffective. In this paper I will use the method of criticism called Neo-Aristotelian criticism. I will begin with an explanation about the method and a justification for using it. Then, I will use the method to analyze Eisenhower’s farewell address. Finally, I will conclude this paper by explaining whether or not Eisenhower’s speech was a success or failure.
Explanation of Methodology
There are two main questions that Neo-Aristotelian criticism is revolved around – (1) Did the speech evoke the intended response from the immediate audience? And (2) Did the rhetor use the available means of persuasion to achieve the desired response? There are three steps that are used to answer these questions – (1) Examine the context surrounding the rhetorical artifact, (2) Analyze the piece of rhetoric and (3) Determine the impact of the rhetoric on the audience and how this relates to the rhetor’s choices of persuasion. Step one involves understanding the situation of the location where the speech was given. By understanding the context and situation it can be understood the way that the rhetoric is shaped. Step two is the analysis of the
Cited: "Biography: Dwight David Eisenhower." Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Foundation, 2000. Web. 18 Nov 2011. . Bradley, Becky . "1950-1959." American Cultural History. Lone Star College-Kingwood Library, 1998. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. . Holland, Gini. A Cultural History of the United States The 1960s. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc., 1999. 144. Print. Parmet, Herbert S. Eisenhower and the American Crusades. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1972. 660. Print.