Proposes an approach to rhetorical criticism that features the relationship between a message and a culturally distanced interpreter or critic. Applies Paul Ricoeur's critical approach to an interpretation of the Gettysburg Address to illustrate how hermeneutics reveals the underlying meaning and cultural significance of enduring texts. (NKA)

Identifies dangers in applying metaphors from one context to another. Asserts the necessity for feminist critical theorists to examine metaphor's status in their own discourse. Proposes a "therapeutic" investigation of metaphor as part of the power structure. Suggests locating a feminist investigation of metaphors in a vigilant awareness…

Examines Churchill's use of archetypal metaphors in his speeches from 1930 to 1945. (MH)

Contends that contemporary reading of "topos" is inherently metaphorical, having at its root a "place" metaphor with important ontological overtones. Indicates an imbalance by comparing two ways of interpreting the "place" metaphor, and the consequences for critics. (JK)

Finds that two primary archetypal metaphors--death and rebirth--emerged in the public debate concerning management of the 1988 Yellowstone forest fires. Argues that the crisis brought two competing views of public land management to the forefront: the ecological view, and the human-centered view. (SR)

Noting that a shared social reality that is constituted, sustained, and modified in symbolic interaction is central to life in an organization, this paper contends that contemporary developments in rhetorical theory make possible careful descriptions of how discourse functions in maintaining and changing that social reality. The paper demonstrates…

Examines and describes the pragmatic uses of the "nuclear winter" metaphor in the original "Science" article and its subsequent use in "Foreign Affairs." Analyzes conditions of the metaphor's birth in the former and its development and use as a conventional metaphor in the latter. Shows that the metaphor became a…

Replies to Joseph Harris' critique of James Britton's conception of "spectator role" (English Education; v20 n1). (MS)

Examines former President Ford's consistent use of the war metaphor in an attempt to explain the domestic problem of inflation and posits various reasons for the war metaphor's failure to be accepted by the American public. (MH)

Suggests that Franklin Delano Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address is an example of a speech using metaphor to transcend a recurring rhetorical problem. Shows how Roosevelt merged two metaphoric clusters, religious and military, into the image of "Holy War," first to calm, then activate the American people. (SR)

Rhetorical norms of early McCarthyist discourse reveal a reliance upon images of chaos and the body. Through such metaphors, rhetors crafted a model of discussion that feminized "democracy" and "tolerance" to support anti-Communist measures and de-legitimize their opponents. Political variety was coded as deviant to national…

This paper first discusses the ways in which Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech demonstrates some of the fundamental principles that should be used to teach rhetorical criticism, and then offers a microscopic, intrinsic criticism of the speech. The paper's four sections (1) review the nature of written speech texts; (2) discuss…

Considers how Bobbie Ann Mason's short story "Shiloh" contains a wealth of metaphoric imagery and has been analyzed through various lenses of the literary tradition, including that of the Grail quest. Suggests that it provides the necessary components for any unit concentrating on teaching the anatomy of the elements of the short story. Discusses…

An illustrative rather than an exhaustive bibliography on approaches to rhetorical criticism, this update of an earlier publication lists more than 150 selections. The bibliography is divided into sections on: (1) discussions of the Burkean approach; (2) applications of the Burkean approach; (3) discussions of the fantasy theme approach; (4)…

Examines "nukespeak," the use of metaphor, euphemism, technical jargon, and acronyms to portray nuclear concepts in a neutral or positive way. Identifies two nukespeak strategies: domestication and bureaucratization. Uses two cases of nukespeak strategy by Ronald Reagan to illustrate the implications of nukespeak for the audience. (MM)