Prison to Promise Land: Mandela to Malcolm to Obama to Park Chung Hee
Hello, Friends of the World!
Nelson Mandela combines the strength of his persona with the historical magnitude of the rhetorical situation to mobilize his fellow countrymen and galvanize the support of the international community on behalf of the anti-apartheid struggle. This speech was delivered following his release from prison, giving him an image of resilience, credibility, power while displaying an unwavering dedication to his cause. The two most important aspects of his speech are his uses of ethos and kairos. His international acclaim as a civil rights leader naturally gave his speech relevance to the situation of apartheid eradication.
Grant: My research project analyzes the rhetorical strategies of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and how they can be used in the contemporary struggle for African-American development. The use of kairos by Mandela was perhaps the most informative aspect of his speech. Despite the election of the first black president, the persisting economic, political and social disadvantages that African-Americans experience today indicate that there is still a great deal that needs to be done even with this historical situation.
Tom: My research project analyzes the rhetorical strategies of leaders surrounding the treatment of U.S. military prisoners detained at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. Recently, there has been very sharp reaction against the treatment of detainees, and I hope to find a set of ethical appeals (specifically, appeals to ethos) on the part of leaders who speak on behalf of the detainees. The most important thing that I took from Mandela’s speech was his use of kairos in order to rally his audience. I realize now that framing my topic as relevant to today’s society will be a very important aspect of my project.
Simon: My research project analyzes the rhetorical strategies employed by South Korean leaders for the purpose of unification of the two Korea’s. Taking the two former Korean presidents, Kim Dae-Jung and Park Jung Hee, I hope to examine two different rhetorical approaches of the leaders to bring about the unification –one appealing to social and political reasons and the other appealing to economic and practical reasons of unification. I learned from Mandela’s speech that the context and the persona are perhaps the most important aspects of a speech. I wish to look at how the different historical contexts have driven the Korean leaders to employ different rhetorical strategies and how their personal experiences and identities have shaped their approach.
Comments
Hey Simon,
I really think what you are researching is very interesting. I think that the negotiations between both North Korea and South Korea is relevant because it has been ongoing for many many years (or at least attempts). It is meaningful to find a method to employ rhetoric in order to ease negotiations because it is important in Asian culture in general how one speaks at a high status. I am Japanese and have many Korean friends, so I know that it can be a factor for most Asians how one speaks. I would really be interested in what you discover about the use of rhetoric in Korea to further negotiations. Good luck on your research.
Posted by: Junichi Tsutsui | February 11, 2009 10:51 AM
Thanks, Junichi, for your comment.
It is very nice to know that some of the sentiment involved in the reunification issue of Korea is shared by others around the globe. My argument in research is precisely that the Presidential rhetoric must move beyond the ethnic and nationalist 'one-people-one-nation' rhetoric to more universal and global rhetoric of promoting peace and democracy in East Asia and the world. Thanks for your comment again.
Posted by: Simon Dae-oong Kim | March 1, 2009 12:41 AM
I'm also very interested in Nelson Mandela's use of rhetoric. It seems that South Africa most likely would have continued in a much more violent struggle without his ability to appeal to many parties through his non-threatening, peace-promoting approach to negotiation. He was a charismatic leader and able to harness this talent to fight for ANC goals while not estranging the National Party and other Afrikaners.
Posted by: Avery | April 4, 2009 06:08 PM
Grant,
Interesting topic- Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X obviously had extremely different rhetorical strategies of appealing to the African American community. Did you ultimately find that one of those strategies is more relevant or useful today than the other?
Posted by: Caitlin Hicks | April 6, 2009 12:50 AM
Grant,
Really interesting topic- Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. as you know had extremely different rhetoric in appealing to the African American community. Did you find that one of their strategies is more relevant or useful than the other today?
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