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Dissipating hostility through feminine rhetorical style

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Date Issued:
2010
Summary:
This study uses Karlyn Campbell's concept of feminine rhetorical style as a theoretical framework for analyzing the rhetoric of Barbara Bush's 1990 Wellesley College commencement address. Through a systematic evaluation of Barbara Bush's speech, this study reveals that her rhetoric exemplifies feminine rhetorical style. The analysis also concludes that Barbara Bush's personal tone, specifically her use of narrative and humor, is the most useful and effective characteristic of her feminine rhetorical style. Using feminine rhetorical style, Barbara Bush successfully dissipates some of the tension she faced prior to the graduation ceremony at Wellesley College. Therefore, this study reveals that feminine rhetorical style is an attractive alternative for speakers seeking to build identification in hostile situations when identification is, or appears to be, lacking.
Title: Dissipating hostility through feminine rhetorical style: Barbara Bush and the petitioners of Wellesley College.
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Name(s): Doran, Bethany Lynne.
Gorbacheva, Raisa Maksimovna, 1932-1999
Wellesley College
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued: 2010
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: electronic
electronic resource
Extent: vii, 102 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: This study uses Karlyn Campbell's concept of feminine rhetorical style as a theoretical framework for analyzing the rhetoric of Barbara Bush's 1990 Wellesley College commencement address. Through a systematic evaluation of Barbara Bush's speech, this study reveals that her rhetoric exemplifies feminine rhetorical style. The analysis also concludes that Barbara Bush's personal tone, specifically her use of narrative and humor, is the most useful and effective characteristic of her feminine rhetorical style. Using feminine rhetorical style, Barbara Bush successfully dissipates some of the tension she faced prior to the graduation ceremony at Wellesley College. Therefore, this study reveals that feminine rhetorical style is an attractive alternative for speakers seeking to build identification in hostile situations when identification is, or appears to be, lacking.
Identifier: 624777318 (oclc), 2100573 (digitool), FADT2100573 (IID), fau:3008 (fedora)
Note(s): by Bethany Lynne Doran.
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010.
Includes bibliography.
Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subject(s): Bush, Barbara, 1925-
Campbell, Karlyn Kohrs
Feminist theory
Narration (Rhetoric) -- Psychological aspects
Persuasion (Rhetoric)
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2100573
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU