Robert James Branham

Between text and context: Toward a rhetoric of contextual reconstruction

Through an exploration of possible forms of the reflexive text‐context relationship, we offer a critical perspective to understand an array of problematic situations: the unspeakable, the ineffable, the radical paradox, and the paradox of authority. Strategies of non‐participation, desecration, and contextual reconstruction are reviewed and Senator Edward Kennedys “Television Statement to the People of Massachusetts” and Abraham Lincolns “Gettysburg Address” are reassessed.

The role of the convert in eclipse of reason and the silent scream

The secular convert has played a significant role in many political controversies and in the documentary films produced by those engaged in them. The Silent Scream (1985) and its sequel, Eclipse of Reason (1987) are two central documents in the effort to limit abortion rights. Much of the testimony and the dramatic structure of the films is drawn from conversion experiences that suggest a model for the conversion of an implied audience and offer reinforcement for those already committed to the movement. In their uses of the convert tale, these films are self‐referential, combative, and, in their portrayal of women, demeaning.

A contract for civility: Edward Kennedy's Lynchburg address

The occasion for Edward Kennedys Lynchburg address on “Tolerance and Truth in America” has been called “something of a mistake.” However, Kennedy used the opportunity to speak at Liberty Baptist College in 1983 to propose a “contract” for the public relationship between himself and Jerry Falwell. Virtually auditioning for a part in a new form of dialogue, Kennedy displayed for Falwell a universe of discourse in which each could be more civil toward the other without betraying his own constituencies or threatening the others supporters. Subsequent events demonstrate that the contract, although never explicitly stated, was accepted.

Ineffability, creativity, and communication competence

Some individuals in all human cultures and ages have believed some or all of their experiences to be beyond adequate expression. Many have nonetheless attempted to present or evoke some aspect of these experiences for others through communication. To do so without implicitly contradicting ones belief that the experiences are ineffable requires that the communicator creatively adapt message and/or context in a manner lkely to conflict with conventional standards of communication competence, interpersonal rules and expectations, logic, or aesthetic tastes.

I Was Gone on Debating: Malcolm X's Prison Debates and Public Confrontations.

During his brief public career, Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam relied heavily upon debate as a form of public address through which to enact and publicize confrontation with other civil rights l...

The conversational frame in public address

Conversationalism has been hailed as the hallmark of modern eloquence, yet its political and ethical implications have received little attention. This essay explores the diverse forms and motives of the conversational frame in public address. By framing their remarks and transactions with their listeners as conversational, orators may attempt to reconstruct or seem to reconstruct speaker‐audience relationships and to position themselves and their audiences within networks of reciprocal rights and obligations.

“God save the_____!” American national songs and national identities, 1760–1798

National songs are favored resources for the expression, inculcation and contestation of national identities. From the coronation of George III to Washingtons farewell address, the British anthem “God Save the King” was a ubiquitous feature of American civil life. Dozens of lyrical adaptations of the song expressed the transitions and conflicts in American national identities, from loyal colony to independent nation. Eighteenth century American uses of “God Save the King” illustrate the rhetorical processes through which national songs are institutionalized, embedded in national conflicts and appropriated for other nations and causes.

Speaking itself: Susan Sontag's town hall address

On February 6, 1982, Susan Sontag addressed a rally at New York Citys Town Hall in which many prominent figures of the American left had gathered to protest Jaruzelskis seizure of power in Poland. Sontag seized what she believed to be an opportunity to promote the abandonment of “old and corrupt rhetoric” by the left. Her speech has been widely perceived as a sign of her defection from the left and has reinforced the rhetorical constraints she sought to dispel.

Roads Not Taken: Counterplans and Opportunity Costs.

Every decision involves forsaken alternatives. The true cost of any action consists of the sacrificed benefits of the best available alternative. This “opportunity cost” is of fundamental importanc...

The Ineffable: An Examination of the Limits of Expressibility and the Means of Communication.

Recurrent claims of ineffable experience and their importance for communication theory are analyzed. Four positions are identified: (1) the “complete effability/complete communicability” position is historically identified with Western culture but repudiated by modern thought; (2) the “complete ineffability/complete communicability” position has some adherents but is self-defeating; (3) the “complete effability/limited communicability” position provides the conceptual base for most of the work in twentieth century communication theory; and (4) the “complete ineffability/limited communicability” position has consistent support but requires a new form of theory which differentiates “coordination” and “consubstantiation” as genres. Explication of the features of situations which prompt recognition of ineffability and the characteristics of individual and cultural attempts to express the ineffable necessitates a reanalysis of the function of several social institutions. This analysis suggests new directions f...