Words of Crisis as Words of Power
The jeremiad in American presidential speeches
| Humboldt University of Berlin
The volume explores crisis rhetoric in contemporary U.S. American presidential speechmaking. Rhetorical leadership constitutes an inherent feature of the modern presidency. Particularly during times of critical events, the president is expected to react and address the nation. However, the power of the office also allows him or her to direct attention to particular topics and thus rhetorically create or exploit the notion of crisis. This monograph examines the verbal responses of George W. Bush and Barack Obama to pressing issues during their terms in office. Assuming an interdisciplinary approach, it illuminates the characteristics of modern crisis rhetoric. The aim of the book is to show that elements of Puritan rhetoric, and specifically the tradition of the jeremiad, although taken out of their original context and modified to suit a modern multiethnic society, can still be detected in contemporary political communication. It will be of interest to students and scholars of presidential rhetoric, political communication, sociolinguistics, and cultural studies.
[Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture, 77] 2018. xiii, 401 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
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Acknowledgements
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List of tables
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List of figures
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Chapter 1. Introduction | pp. 1–15
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Chapter 2. The rhetorical presidency, presidential crisis rhetoric, and the American jeremiad | pp. 17–51
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Chapter 3. Crisis rhetoric and the tradition of the jeremiad in 21st century U.S. American presidential speechmaking: Analysis of President George W. Bush’s and President Barack Obama’s speeches | pp. 53–325
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Chapter 4. Comparisons, conclusions, and implications | pp. 327–338
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Bibliography
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Note
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Appendix
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Appendix: Conceptual metaphors/ framings and lexical correspondences
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Index
“In times of crisis, American presidents, Republican or Democrat, return to the rhetorical form of the jeremiad. But how they use it, what they transport with it, and how successful they are in their crisis management differs. In this magnificent book, Marta Neüff has greatly added to our understanding how the rhetorical presidency in America works.”
Martin Klepper, Humboldt University of Berlin
“Read through the lenses of communication studies, discourse analysis, and pragmatics, Marta Neüff offers a vigorous and incisive interpretation of 21st century presidential crisis rhetoric that both refines and challenges our understanding of the shifting strategies and increasing power of presidential communication at a time of profound transformations in the tools and spaces of political conversation. Well written and researched, this book provides important insights into the mechanism of the growing presence of presidential self-staging in the United States and beyond.”
Reinhard Isensee, Humboldt University of Berlin
“This interdisciplinary contribution provides a wealth of literature and methodology and opens new dimensions on political discourse study. It will appeal to researchers and students in fields like rhetoric, critical discourse analysis, and politics.”
Chunrong Wang and Biyu Zeng, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law / Hunan University of Technology and Business, in Journal of Language and Politics 19:3 (2020)
Cited by
Cited by 1 other publications
Gilmore, Jason, Charles M. Rowling, Jason A. Edwards & Nicole T. Allen
2020. Exceptional “We” or Exceptional “Me”? Donald Trump, American Exceptionalism, and the Remaking of the Modern Jeremiad.
Presidential Studies Quarterly 50:3 ► pp. 539 ff. 
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Subjects & Metadata
Communication Studies
BIC Subject: CFG – Semantics, Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis
BISAC Subject: LAN009030 – LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / Pragmatics