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Persuasion: Final Thoughts

It’s amazing how much work really goes into advertising, whether an individual or organization is launching a campaign, creating a television ad, or simply attempting to attract consumers. With all the persuasive messages we encounter and choices we’re given on a daily basis, how do we choose one product, service, or experience over another? It’s as simple as this: we’re persuaded to make that choice. Companies use advertising, marketing, and even public relations strategies to attract attention and persuade consumers to try their product or services, or at least to remember that product or service. They put a great deal of energy into choosing the right colors, images, and language. They create press releases and social media accounts to gain exposure. They create marketing and advertising departments, sales departments, and public relations departments to brainstorm ways to effectively persuade their audience to purchase their products or services, and the list could go on.

Brookgreen Gardens is no different. Yes, it’s an attraction; a tourist destination, but it depends on tourists and visitors paying for the experience it offers. Researching Brookgreen Gardens for our second paper was an eye-opening experience. When I first looked at its website, I could only see the fact that although the website was full of pictures it failed to include pictures of minorities. I have to admit that single fact caused me to pre-judge Brookgreen Gardens, and I thought I wouldn’t like to visit with my family. However, once I actually started to research the attraction I began to have a change of heart. By the time I had spoken with an operator via telephone and later via email with an employee in the group sales department, I began to think that I would love to visit Brookgreen Gardens with my family. Not only were the reviews I read about the attraction positive, but both employees were extremely polite and helpful, and they both went out of their way to help me get the information I needed for this assignment.

Brookgreen Gardens has a heavy social media presence, belongs to several associations, pays fees for a spot on websites, and has networking relationships with several hotels. Its website is bright, colorful, and full of pictures. The website is also extremely detailed; providing information about the experience, ticket prices, and upcoming events among other things. I prefer visiting a website to research an attraction and find answers to questions instead of calling the company, and I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with Brookgreen Gardens’ website, and its attention to detail. In my opinion, this is one of the most effective ways Brookgreen can persuade people to visit.

#perscc16

Persuading through Networking

I had an email conversation with Molly Mercer, a Brookgreen Gardens employee responsible for group sales. Ms. Mercer explained a few of the advertising strategies Brookgreen Gardens uses to appeal to tour groups. Brookgreen Gardens maintains membership with the American Business Association (ABA), the North Carolina Motorcoach Association (NCMA), the Motorcoach Association of South Carolina (MASC), and the Ontario Motorcoach Association (OMCA). She also attends annual marketplaces like the Travel South USA marketplace that allow tour companies to connect with businesses located in the southern states. She then meets briefly with the companies interested in sending tour groups to South Carolina, or specifically to Myrtle Beach or Charleston, to discuss Brookgreen Gardens.

Additionally, as a member of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, Brookgreen Gardens also obtains group leads from the Myrtle Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. Brookgreen is also often included on other websites for a fee, and Ms. Mercer often networks with local hotels or other attractions and regularly attends monthly sales meetings in Myrtle Beach and Charleston.

My conversation with Ms. Mercer really expounded upon what I’ve learned in this course; advertising is complex and multi-dimensional. Sure, I’ve heard about the Chamber of Commerce and I know companies often advertise on the websites of other companies, but I had no idea just how much effort goes into finding ways to effectively advertise a company’s product or service. Brookgreen Gardens spends money on fees or membership dues in order to obtain leads, and Ms. Mercer spends a lot of time networking and attending meetings in an attempt to secure group sales. That really demonstrates how important relationships are in advertising; not just between a company and its audience, but also between companies.

#perscc16

Brookgreen Gardens: Visual Images and Persuasion

As I mentioned in our threaded discussion for Week 6, I decided not to write about The SC Aquarium in Charleston, SC, after realizing it already has a really good advertising strategy and effectively uses public relations to attract visitors. I have now decided to research and discuss an attraction I stumbled upon during an Internet search; Brookgreen Gardens located in Murrells Inlet, SC.

According to its website, www.brookgreen.org, Brookgreen Gardens is the perfect place for a day trip. It’s open 9:30 am to 5:00 pm 7 days a week, and ticket prices are extremely affordable. It features beautiful gardens, a visit to the only Coastal South Carolina zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a sculpture collection, pontoon boat rides, tours, shops, restaurants, and events. Once I looked at the website, I became curious as to why I, as a South Carolina native and current resident, had never heard of this amazing place. I began scouring the website to see if I could find anything that would help answer that question, and I was surprised to find the website was highly functional and sophisticated. It includes detailed information about Brookgreen Gardens and all it offers. It includes dozens of pictures and even a couple video clips. These visual images gave me my first glimpse of what I would most like to change about the persuasive messaging strategies of Brookgreen Gardens.

Every picture and video showed images of visitors who appeared to be Caucasian. I did not see a single picture of any other racial minority. Let me be clear. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having pictures of Caucasian visitors on Brookgreen Gardens’ website. However, I certainly would like to know if the lack of diversity shown on the website is intentionally exclusive and racially hegemonic or if it’s simply a true representation of the visitors Brookgreen Gardens attracts. If the reason for the lack of diversity is really that people of color do not visit Brookgreen Gardens, then the most obvious priority would be to figure out how to effectively advertise to diverse groups of people.

I copied the following information directly from www.brookgreen.org:

No pets (except service animals) allowed and visitors may not leave pets in their cars.

Your purchases make a difference. All of your purchases help support Brookgreen Gardens, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit whose mission is to display figurative sculpture by American artists and to preserve regional plants, animals, and history.

Please note: Brookgreen is handicapped accessible. We offer child and adult strollers on a complimentary, first-come basis

This excerpt tells me several things about Brookgreen Gardens. It makes it clear that its nonprofit status and reasonable prices support its spoken desire to educate and preserve history, animal life, and plant life. It also makes it clear that the management of Brookgreen Gardens is considerate of pets, individuals with disabilities, and parents or guardians who may need access to the convenience of a stroller for small children. These facts make me believe that Brokgreen Gardens is not the type of attraction that would intentionally attempt to exclude racial diversity. Upon contacting Brookgreen Gardens to ask about persuasive advertising strategies, this belief was strengthened. The operator I spoke with was friendly, polite, and accommodating. She advised me that the attraction had a sales and marketing department, gave me the direct extension for the department’s contact person, and routed me to that extension. She even wished me good luck on my paper.

While, based on ideas shared in chapter 6 of our textbook, Persuasion in the Media Age: Third Edition, we know visual images are persuasive because they “represent reality”, “serve as proof for a persuader’s message”, and “suggest arguments to audiences”, we also know images can sometimes be misleading. I’m curious to continue my research and analysis in an attempt to explain how Brookgreen Gardens can attract more visitors and how the images displayed on Brookgreen Gardens’ website can be altered to attract a more diverse population of tourists and to eradicate any misleading messages the website may be sending.

#perscc16

Persuasion Through Public Relations: The SC Aquarium

For the purpose of our second paper, I’ve chosen to analyze and discuss the persuasive strategies employed by the South Carolina Aquarium located in Charleston, South Carolina. I’ve chosen this tourist attraction because it offers an entertaining, educational experience, which is what my husband and I like to provide our children. I was also drawn to the Aquarium’s mission statement. According to the South Carolina Aquarium’s website, www.scaqaurium.o “Our mission is to inspire conservation of the natural world by exhibiting and caring for animals, by excelling in education and research, and by providing an exceptional visitor experience. The South Carolina Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. We rely on the support of our paying guests, members, foundations and the generosity of our donors.”

In my opinion, this mission cleverly states the purpose of the organization, makes consumers feel important, and employs the concept of reciprocity to encourage consumers to visit. By telling consumers the aquarium knows the importance of education and research and is committed to providing an “exceptional customer experience”, consumers may be inclined to reciprocate by visiting, spending money during their visit, or even donating money. I also believe the fact that the aquarium’s mission statement clearly conveys its non-profit status also makes it more likely that it will obtain financial support from its visitors.

The website includes contact information for its public relations manager, which shows that it knows the importance of employing public relation strategies as opposed to using expensive paid advertising. This also explains the aquarium’s heavy social media presence. It is active on Facebook, Google +, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and its own YouTube channel. Over the next couple weeks and in our second paper, I’ll analyze the aquarium’s advertising tactics and persuasive strategies to determine how effective they are and how they can be improved.

#perscc16

Personal Experiences and the Persuasive Process

Our author, Timothy A. Borchers, in our textbook Persuasion in the Middle Age supports the idea that colors are an important aspect of the persuasive process. He states that “our ideas about the meanings of particular colors relate to how persuaders communicate with us today” (6). However, I’m inclined to support the ideas shared by Gregory Ciotti in the April 2016 Entrepreneur article entitled The Psychology of Color in Marketing and Branding. Ciotti, a marketing strategist, discusses how research has shown that personal experiences, cultures, etc. can all have an effect on our individual reaction to particular colors.

Ciotti asserts that while specific colors don’t have the same effect on every member of an audience, they do affect branding and purchasing decisions. Even these decisions, however, rely largely on an individual’s perception of a particular color, product, or brand. I would like to expound on this point.

I also believe persuasion is largely affected by the life experiences of individual audience members. In an impromptu, unscientific experiment, I sought opinions from my husband, a 33 year-old black man from a two-parent middle class family and my co-worker, a 38-year old black man from a poor, one-parent household. I simply asked them to watch “Flotection” and tell me how the colors and overall commercial made them feel. My husband gave a simple reply. It was funny and it made him feel like Progressive goes above and beyond to protect its property owners. My coworker, on the other hand, considered the phrases “don’t bring that mess around here, Evan” and “Nice rip, Robbie” as indicators of the target audience, and acknowledged the fact that the bright colors and Flo’s dynamic movement generally made him feel good.

However, he also focused on the fact that there was no conversation between Flo and the black homeowner grilling in his yard. He talked about how she stared at him, but didn’t interact with him. My husband and I both thought the lack of verbal communication between Flo and the man made the interaction funnier, but my co-worker really seemed to be offended by it. He said “she even spoke to the car and the bird, but not to him”. In my opinion, his reaction was solely based on his personal experiences. I think like color, our reaction or overreaction to certain aspects of an advertisement are largely based on our personal beliefs, values, and experiences. For example, as a Christian, wife, or mother, I might be offended by certain words or phrases while someone else who has different values or beliefs might not be offended by those same words or phrases. Interestingly though, the more I read, write, and think about persuasion and the persuasive process, the more I agree that persuasion is indeed both a social science and an art.

#perscc16

The Reality of Advertising

The images in “Flotection” attempt to show how normal occurrences or incidents have the potential to damage our personal property. Progressive uses humor and relatable visual scenes to create a shared reality between its product, or brand, and its audience. Progressive then attempts to show how it provides premium protection if or when its customers experience any such damage to their property. This reality, combined with Flo’s humor and likeability, helps create identification among the audience. Flo, as a symbol of Progressive, is genuine and funny, but does not shock the audience with offensive insinuations or edgy language. This supports the idea that Progressive wants its audience to view its brand as a reputable, respectable brand. The audience could also deduce that Progressive’s products are necessary not only to protect them from financial hardship in the event of a loss, but ultimately for maintaining balance in their lives.

The images depicted in “Flotection” are a bit contradictory. While they reaffirm reality, to a certain extent they also simultaneously violate reality. However, in this particular ad, this contradiction makes the images humorous and entertaining. For example, newspapers may be thrown into yards by a delivery person in some neighborhoods, but I doubt many homeowners stand at the edge of their yards to bat the paper down after it’s thrown. It also rains and storms regularly in many parts of the country, but I don’t think anyone stands outside during a storm to hold an umbrella over their vehicle in a feeble attempt to keep it safe.

Yes, the images shown in “Flotection” are definitely staged and edited. In my opinion, however, those facts don’t really have a negative affect the audience’s reaction to “Flotection”. We know television scenes are usually staged and edited, and this commercial is not advertising a product or service that requires raw, candid footage. As a matter of fact, I think this staging helped to create a rather entertaining, persuasive advertisement.

#perscc16

Persuasive Advertising: “Flotection” by Progressive

For our first paper, I have chosen to focus on the 2016 Progressive commercial entitled “Flotection”. This commercial depicts Flo, a well-known Progressive Insurance symbol, as the ultimate home and automobile protector. It uses Flo’s likeability and humor to relay the message that Progressive works tirelessly to protect the property it insures. I find this commercial persuasive because it’s memorable. How many times have you watched a commercial repeatedly, and even laughed at it, and still couldn’t remember what product or service was being advertised? This commercial, in my opinion, was nothing like that. Flo is highly recognizable. She’s synonymous with Progressive as a brand. She is extremely likeable because she is relatable. She’s not a celebrity; she’s a normal, down-to-earth working woman. Sure, we know she’s really an actress representing Progressive, but she makes us feel like she’s one of us. She seems genuine and she’s hilarious, so we pay attention to what she has to say. I laugh every time I see this commercial, but I also listen to it and understand exactly what it’s about.

I also like the fact that “Flotection” is full of bright, rich color and is visually appealing. It uses bright colors and a variation of scenes. It includes a paper boy, a postal worker, and a homeowner using his grill. These are all likeable people with whom we can relate. Some of us might even assume these roles in our own lives. She even protects a car when it was nearly hit by a baseball. For me, identification occurred during this 30 second commercial because my children play baseball in the yard, my husband likes to grill, and I want the best automobile and homeowner’s insurance protection for the best rate. I think these facts created a shared reality between Flo and me and caused me to participate in the persuasive process.

This commercial appeals to a need of the general population; the need for automobile and homeowner’s insurance. With a commercial like “Flotection”, though, Progressive is likely to resonate even with individuals who may not yet own a vehicle or home and don’t yet need Progressive’s products or services. If Progressive, through this commercial, can gain brand recognition among these individuals, they may choose Progressive as an insurer when they do need automobile or homeowner’s insurance. They are certainly more likely to at least research Progressive as an option because they are likely to remember Flo and this commercial. In my opinion, that’s the power of persuasion.

https://youtu.be/Dcsh4NmHXcQ

#perscc16

The Art of Persuasion

I’ve always thought of persuasion as an art form. In my opinion, it takes research, planning and strategic communication to successfully persuade an audience, and it can often be easier said than done. The fact that many television advertisements are pulled from rotation after being labeled as controversial or offensive to their audience, is proof that persuasive messages are often difficult to perfect. According to Timothy A. Borchers in our textbook, Persuasion in the Media Age, persuasion is a process that involves the use of language and/or symbols to encourage the receiver of a message, an audience, to identify with the sender of a message. The end result is the creation of a shared reality between the sender and receiver. Persuasion, then, is incomplete as a process until the audience becomes identifies with the sender and becomes involved in the process.

Persuasion requires the receiver, or audience, to identify with the sender, which requires the sender, or persuader, to connect with the audience. This is why I believe research and planning should be involved in the persuasive process. It allows the sender of the message to tailor the message to its target audience. Television advertisements, for example, are typically viewed by active and passive audiences, so they must attempt to connect with members of both audiences. This can be a very difficult task, but planning and research allow a company to better understand how to best connect with its audience to create a shared meaning and develop a strategic communication plan.

I’m not yet sure which television ad I will focus on for our first paper, but I plan to conduct a critical analysis of the message, its intended audience, and the connection between the two. Sure, our culture and the mediated world in which we live help develop our attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs, but it’s been my experience that people will genuinely listen to your message if they can identify with you and you’re able to connect with them.

#perscc16

Health Communication as a Career

I’ve had aspirations of beginning a career in communications ever since I transferred into the Leadership and Professional Communication degree program at Columbia College. I just couldn’t figure out what a communications career path would look like for me. During the course of this class, I have become interested in public relations as a potential career. I enjoy hearing the details of Ms. South’s public relations responsibilities and I thoroughly enjoyed both guest speakers this semester. The assignment that was most rewarding for me in this class was our health campaign project. I realized how passionate I am about multiple sclerosis specifically, but I also realized I’m passionate about the overall health of the general population. This leads me to believe I should entertain the possibility of pursuing a career in health communication.

For the past five years I’ve worked as a claims examiner for an insurance company specializing in voluntary benefits. Prior to my current position, I worked for a major medical insurer for three years. This insurance experience has equipped me with the ability to better understand healthcare. Additionally, my current position as a claims examiner has given me a deeper understanding of illness and disease as well as a genuine passion for assisting people in their time of need. Some claimants don’t understand their condition, options, or the claim submission process. What would these people do if my co-workers and I weren’t there to assist them? These people and so many like them are the reason I believe health communications is a great career option for me. I’m passionate about bridging the communication gap between clinicians and patients and helping people learn how to gain control over their own health.

#koalahealth

Health Ad Campaigns

I think the anti-smoking campaign spotlighting Terrie, the woman who was diagnosed with oral cancer. I think the way they ran the ad campaign was phenomenal. The pictures of Terrie as a pretty young cheerleader, the video clip of her life with after the tracheotomy, and then the video clips of her decline and hospitalization were very influential. I started to feel like I knew her and I was genuinely sad when they showed the updated ad advising of her death. The ads were persuasive because it wasn’t a provider telling people to quit smoking. It was someone who admitted that smoking caused her cancer. It was easier to trust her because she was an average woman and she seemed so sincere. The ads did use fear tactics, but it wasn’t just an actor or physician telling people cigarettes are harmful; it was a smoker.

In 2009, The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene began a health campaign that featured ads, billboards, and a video ad that depicted soda and other sugary drinks turning into human fat as the liquids were being poured into glasses. The campaign was a failure because the images were absolutely disgusting. The ads were tactless and gross. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene obviously failed to research the communication tactics that would be most effective for its target audience. They obviously didn’t understand how to relate with or influence their audience.

Below is a link to information regarding the NY campaign:

www.nyc.gov/html/doh/.../pdf/.../PouringOnPounds.pdf

Non-Traditional Healing/Healthcare Practices

When I started to think of non-traditional healthcare practices or healing methods the first practices that came to mind were acupuncture and holistic medicine. With these in mind, I began my search for detailed information.

WebMD defines acupuncture as a form of Chinese medicine that believes energy, referred to as chi, surrounds us and is inside our bodies. Acupuncture assumes we become ill when our chi becomes blocked or unbalanced. Therefore, acupuncture, which involves the insertion of thin needles into the skin at various areas of the body, is used to unblock or balance the energy flow.

According to WebMD, holistic medicine is a practice that focuses on treating the whole individual as opposed to simply treating physical symptoms of a particular illness or condition. The concept of holistic medicine is that optimum health can be attained when a person achieves balance in all aspects of his or her life. In other words,it involves focusing on physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health instead of a physical condition alone.

While any type of non-traditional medical treatment or ideals may provide hope or even solutions for some people, they may also provide false hope or discouragement for those who don’t get well or benefit from the treatment. I have read that acupuncture and holistic medicine have both been great treatment tools for some conditions, but I think this is largely dependent on the individual, the disease itself, and a variety of other factors. Results often differ from person to person with traditional medicine and treatment, and I believe the same may be true with alternative forms of medicine and treatment.

I do believe, though, that the concept of holistic medicine is an excellent concept. I think one’s entire being should be evaluated and I value the significance of the health of every facet of a person. I notice that I feel much better when I maintain my physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. As for the practice of acupuncture, I’m not so sure I would be able to get past the idea of having needles placed into my skin.

#koalahealth

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Patient-Caregiver Communication

I want to examine the labor and delivery of my youngest son. The obstetrician who delivered him had never treated me during the course of my pregnancy. My obstetrician’s office rotated physicians so patients would be familiar with all of their physicians and it wouldn’t be awkward if the physician who was on call for delivery was not our primary obstetrician. Well, as it turns out, my office had just merged with another office and I hadn’t had the opportunity to see any of the new physicians at the time of my delivery. When the physician came in and introduced himself I was skeptical. He looked young and I had never seen him or heard of him prior to that moment. He quickly changed my mind, though. He was very pleasant. He came in, spoke to my family and me, introduced himself, and put me at ease right away. We shared transactional communication. He asked and answered questions and even shared a few laughs with us. The nursing staff was just as professional and polite as he was. They all treated me with respect and worked to make sure I was comfortable. Although it became clear that they were all extremely knowledgeable about the labor and delivery process, they acknowledged the fact that I had been through the process before. They talked me through the delivery process and helped my husband through the process as well. They were all calm and professional the entire time. Even the way the physician directed the nursing staff was reassuring. The physician and the nurses gave me directives in a polite and comforting manner. They were never cold or condescending and they did not withhold any information from us. They made the experience of labor and childbirth a pleasant experience, and they made us feel like they truly cared about my health and the health of our baby.

#koalahealth

The Evolution of Healthcare and the Importance of Health Communication

Healthcare has obviously made great advancements and improvements because providers are now more educated and have access to more sophisticated technology. The history of healthcare is surprisingly very interesting. It’s also an important part of understanding healthcare today and appreciating the progression of the healthcare industry.

Communication in healthcare, in my opinion, has also evolved. Communication in healthcare is crucial, just like communication is critical in almost every other career field. I really connected with Fred Lee when he recounted the story of visiting his mother in ICU. This made me think about all the contact my family and I had with medical professionals while my grandfather was hospitalized. It’s interesting to watch medical providers communicate with one another and to observe the differences in the way they communicate with each other as opposed to the way they communicate with a patient or a patient’s family. It’s amazing how the way providers communicate can affect their patient and their family. For example, a kind word or smile and a thorough explanation can create a huge sense of trust and fondness between a patient and provider or between caregivers and a provider. More importantly, the information a patient shares and the questions a patient or provider asks can help accurately diagnose or treat a condition. As a communications major, I understand the importance of communication in every facet of life. It’s reassuring to know the healthcare industry also understands the importance of communication in healthcare.

#KoalaHealth

Understanding prudent presidential rhetoric and leadership

Okay, so I’m really starting to develop a better understanding of prudence and the way it relates to the presidency. Of course it’s no secret that in today’s political world rhetoric is popular and widely used. However, I think it’s safe to say that many of us are also aware that every political figure, presidents included, are not very good at exercising prudence. I think this book, The Presidency and Rhetorical Leadership, does a really good job of explaining prudential presidential leadership and supporting its explanation through examples.

For this assignment, I’ve decided to analyze the speech given by former President George W. Bush following the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001. This speech was delivered on 9/20/2001. As we all know, these terrorist attacks caused an inconceivable amount of destruction and fear. America and the world was stunned. I remember the feeling of dread and sorrow I felt while watching the footage and hearing and reading about the attacks and all the facts that were disclosed after the attacks.

President Bush had a huge responsibility when he addressed the nation. He had to carefully formulate an address to the nation that would summarize the known facts, comfort the nation, and reassure the world that America would exact justice on the terrorists. The only possible way to maneuver through this mine field was to employ rhetoric and prudence. As Dorsey states, and in accordance with the beliefs of Aristotle and Cicero, he had to demonstrate practical knowledge and a rational position. He also had to know how to express this knowledge and position. For example, it wouldn’t have been prudent at all to just say “These people killed many Americans and attempted to destroy a great city. We’re going in their countries to find them and kill them.” First of all, that doesn’t sound rational at all, and we would all assume there was no careful forethought involved. In my paper, I will explain why I think this speech is a perfect example of prudent rhetorical leadership.

#ccprezrhet

Prudential Presidential Leadership

Prudential leadership is a wise and cautious way of leading. So, then, a prudent president is one who doesn’t simply focus on his own agenda or the ideas and agendas that are most popular. A prudent president does not make decisions that cater to his own ego or that are shrouded by selfishness or pride. A prudent president is one who, after carefully looking at the big picture, makes a wise, informed decision that best benefits every party involved, not just his own agenda or the agenda of his political party.

Since I’ve started conducting research for our paper on prudential presidential leadership, I’ve found evidence to support why I think former president Dwight D. Eisenhower is a prime example of a prudent president. Before I discuss that evidence, though, I do have to say that I certainly disagree with his reluctance to enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education which stated segregation was unconstitutional.

His reluctance may have been because it wasn’t a very popular thing to do at that time. However, it also could’ve been because he didn’t think it would be safe for African American students to integrate too quickly into white schools. He had to know it would be met with intense opposition and hatred and could’ve easily deduced that the hatred would be directed towards the students. I don’t know his real motives, though, and I don’t want to speculate. I just wanted to address his inaction in this matter for anyone who might argue that Eisenhower is not a good example of prudential leadership because of this instance.

Based on my preliminary research, I’ve found many instances in which Eisenhower did show prudence. For example, he used a tactic as simple as bluffing to avoid war with the Soviet Union, and in1953 he put an end to the war in Korea with the signing of an armistice. As a Republican president, he also created successful legislation in America even though there was Democratic majority in Congress for most of his eight years in office. One example of such legislation is the increase in minimum wage.

I’m not yet sure whether my prudential presidential leadership paper will focus on Dwight D. Eisenhower or another president. I will say, though, that reading about President Eisenhower has given me a better idea of how prudential presidential leadership looks.

#ccprezrhet

My Epiphany: Presidential Rhetoric is Relevant

When I woke up yesterday morning, before getting ready for work, I sat in the bed and opened my lap top. The first thing I saw was a news story telling me that 9 people had been killed in a historic black church in downtown Charleston. The news story I was reading categorized the crime as a hate crime. Needless to say, I was shocked, angry, and sad just like countless other Americans were when they first heard about the shooting.

To be brutally honest, I only signed up for this class because it was an online class and met the requirements for my degree program. I didn’t really expect to apply anything I learned in this class. Although politics interest me, I never imagined I would want to analyze speeches. Surprisingly, though, the first thing I thought after reading that news story was that President Obama would have to give a national eulogy. I mean, just like that, this material was so relevant. Not only was I interested in the developing story about the shooting, but I was also interested in listening to President Obama’s national eulogy because I felt like it was required for this tragedy.

With that being said, I started to think more about the national eulogy I chose to analyze for the genre rhetorical analysis paper. I thought about what President Obama said during the national eulogy following the Boston Marathon bombings and how it made me feel. I began to realize that he did indeed assume a priestly role because his words offered comfort, hope, and a deeper desire for Boston and the nation to show resilience following that tragedy. While listening to his speech, I found myself imagining the scene in Boston prior to the start of the Marathon and the chaos that must’ve erupted after the bombs were detonated. It brought back all the emotion I felt when I first heard about the bombings.

That news evoked the same feelings in me as the shooting in Charleston. I now vow to be resilient and not let the hate of others stop me from being myself and living my life freely. As I search my own mind and heart and deal with my own thoughts and feelings I await the comforting, encouraging words of the president of the United States. He’ll have to again assume the role of a priest for the people of this country as we all struggle to wrap our heads around this senseless act of violence. This role will be highlighted in my paper as I look at the way he assumed that same role in the national eulogy he delivered just days after the Boston Marathon bombings.

#ccprezrhet

Genre Rhetorical Analysis Paper: The National Eulogy

After careful consideration, I have chosen to analyze a national eulogy. I chose this genre of presidential rhetoric because modern forms of national eulogies follow a crisis and the president uses the eulogy to express the resilience of the American people.

On April 15, 2013, the 117th Boston Marathon began. About 23,000 runners from many countries, races, and creeds began the 26.2 mile race. That afternoon, near the finish line, 2 bombs detonated, killing three and injuring nearly 260. This was a senseless act of terrorism. The Boston Marathon is as American as apple pie, so for it to be he site of terrorism clearly conveyed the fact that the perpetrators wanted to send a wave of fear throughout our nation.

Three days after this heinous act, President Obama delivered a national eulogy during an interfaith service in Boston Cathedral of the Holy Cross. In my opinion, President Obama did an excellent job of defining his role during this crisis. The speech was delivered well, and included vivid imagery, his personal history with Boston, scripture, the resilience of the American people, and the promise to bring the perpetrators to justice.

As I dive into my analysis of this national eulogy, I will offer more details of President Obama’s speech and why I think he knocked it out of the park.

#ccprezrhet

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