Metaphors are not used for their own sake in politics, but as part of a strategy to persuade a particular audience to accept a point of view, and act accordingly
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Articles on Rhetoric
Displaying 1 - 20 of 77 articles
For many extremist groups, a primary goal is to spread their ideology. Costumes and uniforms – even ridiculous ones – are a form of spectacle that can garner attention and interest.
Researchers find that the most devoted fans take their team's defeats personally and often blame losses on the refs or cheating. Sound familiar?
The president's language sounded less presidential and more inflammatory in the weeks leading up to the riots.
In his January 6 speech in Washington DC, Donald Trump urged his supporters to force their way onto Capitol Hill, is a perfect compendium of his inflammatory populist rhetoric.
Words have consequences. And decades of research supports the contention that Donald Trump's words could in fact incite people to mount an insurrection at the US Capitol.
As the raid on the U.S. Capitol has shown, some kinds of rhetoric can set fire to the world — and it exists in Canada, too. Here's how to tamp it down and focus on positive forms of rhetoric.
Media outlets used visual metaphors to explain to the public how election results would emerge.
False premises, fear-based reasoning and mob thinking are baked into the platform, allowing misinformation to thrive.
Donald Trump said followers of conspiracy theory 'are very much against pedophilia.' What he didn't mention was the demonic imagery and language that peppers QAnon posts.
Some have equated the German word with small-minded cruelty. But the word's meaning is more nuanced.
Trump uses more religious terms in his set-piece addresses than any other president in the last 100 years.
Because dramatic tension fuels attention, Trump's words work to generate tension, anxiety and conflict. We need to react with civility, care and calm to undo the cycle of attention and persuasion.
A politician who wields a comeback with skill can use it as both a bludgeon and a shield, damaging the opponent without hurting their own popularity with voters.
The conservative cable news channel particularly favors the term when explaining opposition to Donald Trump. This framing of the news can lead Fox viewers to see the world as us versus them.
Dog whistles constitute coded language that only some voters can hear. But Trump does not hide his bigotry when talking about Mexican 'rapists,' the 'China virus' and 'law and order.'
An analysis of Donald Trump's speech at Mount Rushmore reveals the underbelly of his constant use of heroic rhetoric.
The use of military metaphors in some contexts can be helpful. In medicine? Not so much.
Because sarcasm is often difficult to discern and improperly used, it can operate as a linguistic mulligan. But deploy the excuse too much, and you might raise some eyebrows.
Donald Trump uses language like a dangerous demagogue. The author of a book on Trump's rhetorical skill gives a guide to the six most important rhetorical strategies Trump uses.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor of Communication, Texas A&M University
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Assistant lecturer, CY Cergy Paris Université
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Chair of Academic Board, Victoria University
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Adjunct Professor at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
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Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Communication Consultant, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Westminster
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PhD Candidate, Department of Comparative Literature and Culture, Queen Mary University of London
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Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis
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Associate Professor & Chair, Department of Communication Arts, University of Waterloo
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Lecturer in Public Policy, University of Cambridge
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Associate Professor in Linguistics, Macquarie University
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Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham
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British Politics Lecturer, University of Liverpool
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Professor, Australian National University
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Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Stirling
