Content Category
Literary Criticism
Abstract/Description
This essay connects Kenneth Burke’s briefly used poetic metaphor with his theories on the use of “poetic” language in the essay “Semantic and Poetic Meaning.” What results from this synthesis is a critical tool for rhetorical analysis which allows for the discussion of style as a vehicle for communication about ethics and morals in public discourse. Obama’s The Audacity of Hope is used as the example of a text which uses “poetic” language in order to discuss moral and ethical issues in a national arena. Obama ultimately dramatizes his own synthesis of values, putting himself in the position of a trusted intermediary. This analysis provides clarity on Burke’s thinking at the end of Permanence and Change and helps us understand his contribution to the study of rhetoric and reconciliation.
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Location
4186 JFSB
Start Date
19-3-2015 11:30 AM
End Date
19-3-2015 1:00 PM
Included in
Kenneth Burke's Poetic Metaphor and Obama as Poet
4186 JFSB
This essay connects Kenneth Burke’s briefly used poetic metaphor with his theories on the use of “poetic” language in the essay “Semantic and Poetic Meaning.” What results from this synthesis is a critical tool for rhetorical analysis which allows for the discussion of style as a vehicle for communication about ethics and morals in public discourse. Obama’s The Audacity of Hope is used as the example of a text which uses “poetic” language in order to discuss moral and ethical issues in a national arena. Obama ultimately dramatizes his own synthesis of values, putting himself in the position of a trusted intermediary. This analysis provides clarity on Burke’s thinking at the end of Permanence and Change and helps us understand his contribution to the study of rhetoric and reconciliation.