Rhetoric Books - Page 2

Soulless: Ann Coulter and the Right-Wing Church of Hate

Susan Estrich

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Total reviews: 66 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"A word to those of you out there who have yet to be offended by something I have written or said: Please be patient. I am working as fast as I can." -Ann Coulter, 2006

Is she ever!

Ever since the publication of her Clinton-bashing debut, High Crimes and Misdemeanors, right-wing fire-brand Ann Coulter has made herself one of the most talked-about figures in contemporary American life--and has done so by issuing a near-continuous barrage of insult and invective, which has been described as "shameless," "cruel," "shrill, bombastic, and mean-spirited," "grossly inappropriate," "hate speech." She has called the 9/11 widows "witches" and "harpies," referred to Muslims as "ragheads," called Al Gore a "total fag," and said that both New York Times editor Bill Keller and antiwar congressman Jack Murtha deserved to die. Yet with each new statement--and each new book launch--Coulter somehow manages to co-opt the media as a megaphone for her attacks, while emerging from the backlash miraculously unscathed.

Until now. With Soulless, political commentator Susan Estrich takes on Ann and the "Coulter culture" she has created, exposing how the pundit provocatrice has downgraded our political discourse with her irresponsible rhetoric, personal attacks, and slanderous asides. Trawling through Coulter's history of often-violent public statements, Estrich asks which are more cynical: the pundit and her headline-grabbing drive-by character assassinations, or the networks who happily bring her back for more. Soulless also casts a light on "the Anns," wannabes like Michelle Malkin and Glenn Beck, whose imitation Coulterisms coarsen our culture with every passing news cycle. And, most important, she challenges us--the readers, the voters--to remember that behind the huckster's rhetoric lurks a dangerous reactionary whose real agenda is wildly out of step with the American public.

As Estrich says, "She knows exactly what she is doing. And she is scary as hell because of it."

Declaring Independence: Jefferson, Natural Language, & the Culture of Performance

Jay Fliegelman

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Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> Revolution & Founding -> General
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Interesting viewpoint...adds perspective to the Declaration. 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I read the first 90 pages of this book for a report in a graduate course...Now I'm buying it to read the rest! Fliegelman traces the development of a new American language and a new way of using it. Public speaking and "performance", against the backdrop of the Declaration of Independence, are his focus in this unique book. Whether you agree or not, you'll find it hard to put down.

Editorial Review:

This book sets the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution in general in the context of a revolution in rhetorical theory and practice that sought to discover a new language, a natural language equivalent to natural law that would permit, by its self-evidence, perfect understanding and the galvanising of public opinion. By demonstrating the intimate connections between the history of politics and the history of rhetoric and by tracing the larger issues of the Declaration to and through a wide array of cultural expressions - Declaring Independence offers, on the eve of the 250th anniversary of Jefferson's birth, the first full-length cultural contextualisation of America's founding document, as well as an interdisciplinary brief for reconsidering and enlarging the kinds of "facts" that are traditionally judged to be relevant to the understanding of a major historical document.

Unspeak: How Words Become Weapons, How Weapons Become a Message, and How That Message Becomes Reality

Steven Poole

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Subjects -> Reference -> Words & Language -> Etymology

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

What do the phrases "pro-life," "intelligent design," and "the war on terror" have in common? Each of them is a name for something that smuggles in a highly charged political opinion. Words and phrases that function in this special way go by many names. Some writers call them "evaluative–descriptive terms." Others talk of "terministic screens" or discuss the way debates are "framed." Author Steven Poole calls them Unspeak. Unspeak represents an attempt by politicians, interest groups, and business corporations to say something without saying it, without getting into an argument and so having to justify itself. At the same time, it tries to unspeak — in the sense of erasing or silencing — any possible opposing point of view by laying a claim right at the start to only one way of looking at a problem. Recalling the vocabulary of George Orwell's 1984, as an Unspeak phrase becomes a widely used term of public debate, it saturates the mind with one viewpoint while simultaneously makes an opposing view ever more difficult to enunciate.

In this fascinating book, Poole traces modern Unspeak and reveals how the evolution of language changes the way we think.

Image Politics: The New Rhetoric of Environmental Activism

Kevin Michael DeLuca

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Current Events -> Poverty -> Social Services & Welfare
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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great work of profound importance (for enviros & academics) 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 14 people found this review helpful.

Through a plethora of filters including cultural studies, rhetoric, political economy, postmodernism, critical studies, media studies, activism, and environmental studies, DeLuca strongly introduces the image event, an ideograph of profound political and social implications. The author explores these image events through the tactics and strategies of radical environmental and environmental justice groups. Expertly, he deconstructs the notion of a public sphere, as grounded in today's televisual mass mediated society. Rebuffing an ideal Habermassian public sphere in which all parties and sides can equally and civilly debate issues of any interest, DeLuca questions whether all individuals are welcome to enter into that debate, a debate which today occurs in the mass media. Looking at four nonviolent environmental and environmental justice groups, DeLuca argues that the success of their protests against hegemonic forces now lies in the image event itself rather than the immediate cessation of the offense in question. Success comes about through a direct action: Forcing people (audiences) out of comfortable ignorance into a questioning of the status quo (pp. 1-3). The violent counterresponses (pp. 8-9) from the corporations and governments being protested, in light of the failed (inability to stop the present offense) direct actions by the environmental groups, underscores the author's contention of the redefinition of success. Through this challenge of the mainstream discourse (industrialism and progress) (p. 6), the direct actions of the groups DeLuca analyzes become symbolically charged, expected to fail in immediate terms. Success instead comes through increased visibility and public support. By challenging the legitimacy of the establishment" (p. 15), the groups are, according to DeLuca, considering "the implications for rhetoric of extralinguistic confrontational activities" (p. 15). To critical rhetorical scholars, DeLuca becomes one of the vanguards who asserts that the visual realm, which has for too long been ignored by the field, is not only as important, but more so than spoken or written rhetoric in the political public sphere. Through this analysis, DeLuca explores how radical environmental groups are reconstituting the identity of the dominant culture (p. 16) rather than forming their own. In conclusion, this work is of great importance to the academy, especially the field of rhetoric. DeLuca's book begins to fill the dearth of work on media and the environment. It begins anew the research of social movements in this postmodern era. Importantly, it gifts the activist groups legitimacy and credence, which does have the potential to greater effect social change, an ideal conditional for every work in the academy.

Editorial Review:

From Greenpeace protesters confronting whaling ships to Earth First! activists occupying trees to stop logging, radical environmentalists increasingly rely upon attracting mass media coverage to gain visibility and public support. This book examines the use of "image events" as a rhetorical tactic, one that often supplants written or spoken arguments. Widely televised environmentalist actions are analyzed in depth to illustrate how the image event fulfills fundamental rhetorical functions in constructing and transforming identities, discourses, communities, cultures, and world views. Beyond the rhetorical power of image events, DeLuca also shows how they create opportunities for a politics that does not rely on centralized leadership or universal metanarratives. Illuminating the new political possibilities currently being enacted by radical environmental groups, the book lays out a rhetoric of the visual for our mediated age.

Political Communication in American Campaigns

Joseph S. Tuman

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Editorial Review:

In Political Communication in American Campaigns, Joseph S. Tuman provides a comprehensive, clear, and accessible treatment of American campaign rhetoric and argues that modern elections are not really about contests between candidates or political parties; rather, they are more about the competing messages each player in the political process must present to persuade and reach voters.. This book’s triangulated approach to political communication includes (1) all forms of campaign speech and oratory; (2) the rhetorical dimensions of campaign debates; and (3) candidate/campaign interaction with mass media.


Key Features 

• Allows readers to deconstruct and understand how and why speeches affect voters: Offers methods for understanding how political speeches are constructed and targeted, as well as how to apply these methodologies to a variety of campaign oratories.
• Provides a comprehensive and entertaining explanation of the history of campaign debates in the United States: A historical description of the evolution of political campaign helps situate modern debates within the context of specific mass media strategies and tactics employed by campaigns.
• Reflects how changes in mass media have now influenced how campaigns communicate messages to voters: Explores the relationship between campaigns and mass media, with an emphasis on paid and free media, and addresses the contemporary intersection of campaign Web sites and blogs with campaign main messages, fundraising, manipulating news coverage and creating ads.
• Offers an insider’s view of how campaigns work-and how news media coverage of campaigns works: The book is written with additional insights from the author’s experiences as a political consultant and as a political analyst for news media.
• Presents contemporary examples that all readers will understand: Real-life case studies of debates from both state and national elections; all forms of campaign oratories; and mass mediated campaigns.

Intended Audience
This text is designed for advanced courses dealing with such topics as political communication, media & politics, presidential rhetoric, and persuasion, as found in departments of communication, media studies, and political science.

The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang

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Editorial Review:

The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang illuminates a rich and colorful segment of our language. Readers will find informative entries on slang terms such as "Beltway bandit" and "boondoggle," "angry white male" and "leg treasurer," "juice bill" and "Joe Citizen," "banana superpower" and "the Big Fix." We find not only the meaning and history of familiar terms such as "gerrymander," but also of lesser-known terms such as "cracking" (splitting a bloc of like-minded voters by redistricting) and "fair-fight district" (which refers to areas redistricted to favor no political party). Each entry includes the definition of the word, its historical background, and illuminating citations, some going back more than 200 years. Selected entries will have extended encyclopedic notes. The book also features sidebar essays on topics such as political words in Blogistan; a short history of "big cheese"; all about chads and the 2000 election; the suffix "-gate" and all the related Watergate terms; and the naming of legislation. Political junkies, policy wonks, journalists, and word lovers will find this book addictive reading as well as a reliable guide to one of the more colorful corners of American English.

Library of Freedom: Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents (Library of Freedom)

Rh Value Publishing

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

accessing to american history... 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

'The Inaugural Address of the Preidents' is one of the few nonficton books I've read. I read it not wanting to be one-sided regarding books(most books I have read are fiction), and trying to get a clearer image on the presidents I have not known well. This book, besides the inaugural addresses, has a short writing about the president in each election. The inaugural address may be just an address, but it also showed the differing view of values of each presidents, while sketching the hitory of america, if briefly. I'm not an american, and so the vocabulary was a little hard for me, and it is of course not what you would call a fun book but all in all, it was a thumbs up.

See what the Presidents were thinking. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Presidents' Inaugurals are worth reading. There are few similarities between them. Some recount history. Some are long, some are short. Some are eloquent while others use plain language. Some give specific policy proposals while others focus on the big picture. It is interesting to see what the Presidents wanted the country to focus on. It is also interesting to compare their predictions to what actually occurred. It is interesting that Warren G. Harding and Jimmy Carter both quoted from the same Old Testament passage in the book of Micah.

Editorial Review:

Providing a survey of American history, a collection of the inaugural addresses of every United States president is accompanied by a brief introduction to each speech which places each president and address in a historical context.

For Love of Country: An Essay on Patriotism and Nationalism

Maurizio Viroli

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Reconstructing the historical meaning of the terms nationalism and patriotism, Viroli shows how the two concepts have been used within specific cultural and ideological contexts. He reviews the political thought of modern and early modern Europe, with particular emphasis on France, Italy, England, and Germany, and comes up with a fundamental difference between patriotism and nationalism. Viroli argues that patriotism and nationalism are two ideologies that aim to reinforce and channel two different and powerful political passions: the love of a common good and the love of uniqueness and homogeneity. The Patriot is a supporter of the republic, his enemies are tyranny and corruption; the Nationalist supports ethnic, cultural, or religious unity, and fights against impurity, contamination, and diversity. He concludes, therefore, that while it is morally acceptable to be a patriot, it is morally unacceptable, as well as unnecessary, to be a nationalist to defend the values that nationalists hold dear. This work will be of interest to students and scholars of political theory and political science, as well as to historians of political thought.

American Political Rhetoric

Peter Augustine Lawler

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great for Introductory classes! 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Simply the best collection of readings for introductory American Government courses I have used in over twenty years of college and university teaching. These readings have never failed to spark thoughtful discussions among my students.

walking through the jungle of american political rhetoric 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

"American Political Rhetoric" is an excellent collection of American-governing documents, judicial decisions, and speeches given by such charismatic leader as martin luther king jr, franklin delano roosevelt, william jefferson clinton, frederick douglas, abraham lincoln, and many others. The articles are partitioned into chapters concerning civil rights, foreign policy, gender rights, founding principles, judicial powers, bicameralism and the separation of powers, etc... this text is an excellent edition for any motivated citizen and should be required reading for any potential voter.

Editorial Review:

American Political Rhetoric is the only reader designed for introductory classes in American politics and government that is both focused on fundamental political principles and includes nothing but classic examples of our nation's political rhetoric. The fourth edition of this book is completely reorganized, with material both contemporary and classic added to each chapter. The most noteworthy innovations include a separate chapter on gender and the latest Supreme Court opinions on school prayer and abortion.

Best American Political Writing 2007 (Best American Political Writing)

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Like the previous five editions of this highly regarded anthology, The Best American Political Writing 2007 draws on a wide variety of publications and political viewpoints to present the year's most insightful and entertaining articles on the current political scene, including coverage of the 2006 elections, America's continuing struggles in Iraq and Afghanistan, and profiles of Hillary Clinton, John McCain, John Edwards, and other presidential hopefuls. Selections include Seymour Hersh's ongoing investigation into America's designs on Iran, Carl Cannon on what happens when presidents lie, Matt Taibbi's portrait of the worst Congress in history, Nobel prize–winning economist Daniel Kahneman on why hawks win most foreign-policy arguments, and Judy Bachrach's account of the year's sleaziest Washington scandal—plus 20 other groundbreaking pieces from such publications as The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Weekly Standard, The New Republic, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Commentary, and The American Scholar.