Robert C. Rowland

Recasting the American Dream and American Politics : Barack Obama's Keynote Address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention

This essay draws upon the work of Northrop Frye to show that stories enacting the American Dream contain elements associated with romance, and briefly traces how Ronald Reagan and conservatives utilized the romance of the American Dream to the point that many Americans associated it exclusively with conservatism. The essay then details how Barack Obama, in his 2004 Democratic Convention keynote address, recast the American dream from a conservative to a liberal story.

The Rhetoric of Atonement

In this essay, we outline the defining characteristics of the rhetoric of atonement and argue that it as an identifiable sub‐genre of apologia. In building this argument, we examine the purposive and situational constraints that lead to atonement and argue that atonement rhetoric can be defined based on five characteristics. We use an analysis of several instances in which President Clinton relied upon atonement to illustrate the power and function of the sub‐genre.

On mythic criticism

Recently, a number of critics have applied a mythic perspective to a wide variety of works. While the value of mythic criticism cannot be questioned, the method also may be stretched to include discourse that lacks either the function or the form of traditional myth. Reliance on a narrow formal/functional definition of myth can help critics avoid this problem.

Narrative: Mode of discourse or paradigm?

This essay critically analyzes the recent work of Walter. Fisher on the “narrative paradigm.”; While Fishers work has undeniable value, the implications of it have not been completely considered. This essay proposes three limitations on the narrative paradigm. First, Fishers definition of narrative is too broad, encompassing nearly all discourse. Using Fishers example of The Fate of the Earth, a case is built for the claim that a more limited definition of narrative is needed. Second, the view that there is an independent standard of narrative rationality that can be distinguished from the “rational world paradigm”; is considered and rejected. Finally, the claim that the proper role of the expert in the public sphere is that of story teller is also considered and rejected.

On limiting the narrative paradigm: Three case studies

While narrative is studied in any number of fields as a form of discourse, only in communication studies has it been claimed that all forms of discourse can be viewed as types of narrative. One way of testing such an all‐encompassing interpretation of narrative is to apply the assumptions of the narrative paradigm to works that traditionalists would not consider to be stories. This essay applies the principles of narrative probability and fidelity to three works—a book attacking religious fundamentalism, a short film attacking Pat Robertson and an allegorical science fiction novel that retells the story of Job—in order to test the paradigm. If all rhetoric can be understood through the narrative paradigm, then the paradigm should be equally applicable to all three works. The analysis of the works, however, reveals that narrative approaches are of little use when applied to discourse that does not tell a story. Additionally, the standards for narrative rationality are difficult to apply and inapplicable to...

The relationship between the public and the technical spheres of argument: A case study of the challenger seven disaster

A number of authors have argued that public argument is being eroded by increased reliance on experts. In order to test this thesis, the arguments that dominated the decision‐making before and after the Challenger accident are examined. The ultimate conclusion is that the relationship between the public and technical spheres is more complicated than has been realized previously.

The rhetoric of Hindu nationalism: A narrative of mythic redefinition

Like nationalist parties across the globe, Hindu nationalist parties have taken strong positions on issues relating to national identity. In this essay, we argue that Hindu nationalist rhetoric possesses a mythic narrative structure, which is tied to the broad rhetorical situation facing any nationalist movement that is outside the mainstream power structure in a society. We further argue that there are a limited number of narrative patterns that are often called for by a restricted set of rhetorical situations. We also propose a relationship between narrative and generic theory, suggesting a means of expanding the applicability of generic criticism.

The substance of the 1980 Carter‐Reagan debate

The 1980 Carter‐Reagan debate has been criticized by commentators who believe that Reagans style defeated Carters substance in the debate. This essay tests that claim by evaluating the debate as an extended argument. Surprisingly, such an analysis indicates that Reagan, not Carter, won the debate on the issues. This analysis also delineates several ways that format influences the content of presidential debates.

Social Function, Polysemy and Narrative-Dramatic Form: A Case Study of "Do the Right Thing.".

Spike Lees film, Do the Right Thing, has been interpreted in radically different, even inconsistent ways. This essay argues that Lee used a form similar to classical Greek drama in order to embed inconsistent themes into the film. This analysis in turn suggests implications in relation to the functions served by narrative rhetoric and a polysemic critical practice.

A Covenant‐affirming jeremiad: The post‐presidential ideological appeals of Ronald Wilson Reagan

In his post‐presidential discourse, Ronald Reagan did not assume a typical jeremiadic posture, warning that America was straying from conservative dogma. Instead, he warned of other dangers, some of which required alteration in conservatism. He combined those warnings with an optimistic celebration of American exceptionalism. In that way, they served a function similar to a traditional jeremiad, but from an optimistic perspective and without any sense that the nation was straying from its covenant. We coin the term, Covenant‐affirming Jeremiad, to describe the rhetorical characteristic of these addresses.