Lakoff's (P)rhetorical Analysis of Tonight's Speech

The Blogora: The Rhetoric Society of America

Lakoff's (P)rhetorical Analysis of Tonight's Speech

Submitted by Jim Brown on February 24, 2009 - 3:42pm

Ever since reading Lakoff's Don't Think of an Elephant, I've wondered whether he would ever see himself as a rhetorician. I'm hesitant to make the move of the disciplinary imperialist by claiming that everyone is "doing rhetoric" whether they know it or not. But Lakoff's political stuff so often reads like rhetorical analysis...and he NEVER uses the "r word." Here is Lakoff's pre-rhetorical (prhetorical...I like it) analysis of Obama's speech tonight to the joint session.

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Rhetoric's bad name

Submitted by swiftj on February 26, 2009 - 6:45pm.

I wonder how many people are rhetoricians, deep down, but don't admit it. Maybe they don't know they're rhetoricians, or maybe they know and buy the "style=no substance" argument.

Wonkette's Obama Drinking Game

Submitted by Jim Aune on February 24, 2009 - 5:06pm.

Is here.