Post by amandac02 on Oct 23, 2007 18:45:42 GMT -5
Alright, so I thought we should start a discussion about the speech that Mr. Cheddar posted here for us to read. To me, the main question seems to be: "what is McCarthy doing in this speech and how does it relate to The Crucible?"
Personally, I see McCarthy doing a few things. First of all, he immediately installs crisis, noting the frequency of "Communist victories and American defeats in the cold war." He backs this crisis with statistics; his argument is solid thus far, nobody can dispute numbers. McCarthy proceeds to bring this crisis close to home, stating that "the State Department... is thoroughly infested with Communists" and offering a list of 57 supposed Communist legislators. By using these men as scapegoats, he states that the way to solve the crisis is to bring about change, a "new birth of national honesty and decency in government."
McCarthy blatantly implies that he will bring about this change, without mentioning his own name even once. He demonstrates the power of the tyranny of consensus. Instead of uniting the voters to support him, the same goal as any politician, he unites them against a common enemy, the Communists. By implying that he will help defeat this enemy, he's speaking the rhetoric of consensus. So, he'll gain votes. However, in doing this, he deliberately oppresses an outside group, the Communists, hence, tyranny.
Any thoughts? What do the style and content of this speech reveal about it?
Personally, I see McCarthy doing a few things. First of all, he immediately installs crisis, noting the frequency of "Communist victories and American defeats in the cold war." He backs this crisis with statistics; his argument is solid thus far, nobody can dispute numbers. McCarthy proceeds to bring this crisis close to home, stating that "the State Department... is thoroughly infested with Communists" and offering a list of 57 supposed Communist legislators. By using these men as scapegoats, he states that the way to solve the crisis is to bring about change, a "new birth of national honesty and decency in government."
McCarthy blatantly implies that he will bring about this change, without mentioning his own name even once. He demonstrates the power of the tyranny of consensus. Instead of uniting the voters to support him, the same goal as any politician, he unites them against a common enemy, the Communists. By implying that he will help defeat this enemy, he's speaking the rhetoric of consensus. So, he'll gain votes. However, in doing this, he deliberately oppresses an outside group, the Communists, hence, tyranny.
Any thoughts? What do the style and content of this speech reveal about it?