Read: Zarefsky: Chapter 5 and Chapter 16
Read: Chuang, Lisa M., and John P. Hart. “Suburban American Punks and the Musical Rhetoric of Green Day’s ‘Jesus of Suburbia.’ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.”Communication Studies 59.3 (July 2008): 183–201 https://www-tandfonline-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/doi/full/10.1080/10510970802257499
Watch: Robert F. Kennedy, Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (06:28)
Description
In an essay, you will analyze the rhetorical situation for Robert F. Kennedy, “Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.” in terms of audience and occasion constraints and resources.
Instructions
View Robert F. Kennedy's “Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” delivered on April 4, 1968. While you are reading, listening to, and viewing the speech, pay particular attention to how the speaker addresses his audience and think about what thought went into the preparation and delivery of the speech. Consider, also, Kennedy's adaptation to the occasion. In an essay of 400–600 words, discuss the following things:
demographics, culture, and psychology: Consult at least one outside source (in addition to your textbook) to determine who his audience was on that day and then use your critical thinking skills to determine what the demographics, cultures, and psychologies would likely be.
Referring to the speech text and your textbook, explain how demographics would influence Kennedy's rhetorical choices.
Referring to the speech text and your textbook, explain how culture would influence Kennedy's rhetorical choices. In particular, explain how he adapted to cultural diversity.
Referring to the speech text and your textbook, explain how audience psychology would influence Kennedy's rhetorical choices. In particular, explain his efforts at identification (with specific reference to the text of the speech).
Referring to the concepts of "illusion of life,""“virtual time," and “incongruent messages” in the Chuang & Hart additional reading, how does Kennedy manage time as a constraint and a resource in his speech?
How would you assess Kennedy's ethos in this speech?
Requirements
Use at least two scholarly sources (including the Chuang and Hart article) to support your argument.
In addition, you can use news magazines, such as Time or Newsweek, and newspaper articles for background and historical information. Sources that originate on the Internet are not acceptable. (This means that, if you have a source that was originally published in print but is available online, it is okay to use that source). In particular, you may find the New York Times Historical and the ProQuest search engines helpful for this and many of your other assignments.
Sample Solution