This project centers on instances of rhetoric that give voice to, advocate for, and/or perform the humanities in the public sphere. Our class has proceeded on the premise that works of art like Henry V represent rhetoric in action, making things happen, both within the world of the play and the larger world in which Shakespeare’s works are read and performed.
In this project, explore this claim in two steps. Part 1 involves choosing a public rhetoric model and producing a report analyzing its rhetoric. Part II focuses on applying the kinds of rhetorical strategies found in your Part I report, in combination with any other relevant strategies to compose your own piece of public rhetoric.
Public Rhetoric Project Part I.pdfPart I
On March 26, 2001, playwright Arthur Miller delivered the 30th Jefferson Lecture for the National Endowment for the Humanities. As a piece of public writing that illustrates and advocates for the humanities in the "real world," Miller's speech serves as an example of public rhetoric that uses the Aristotelean appeals, the situation's kairos, and an awareness of the audience to effectively convey his argument.
Part II
Dr. Carla Hayden is the current Librarian of Congress, a role in which she emphasizes accessibility to the Library, connecting Americans to knowledge, and allowing underrepresented voices to be visible in the Library's collections.
In this imaged speech at the 2024 National Democratic Convention, Hayden urges the Democratic Party to include the humanities in the party platform for the upcoming election and potential presidential term.
Public Rhetoric Project Part II.pdf