RHETORICAL CRITICISM AS THE ART OF QUESTIONING WHAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED: An Inquiry Into the “American Dream”

Jeremy Engels; Tiara Good; John Minbiole; William Saas; Frank Stec

doi:10.4324/9781003430858-11

RHETORICAL CRITICISM AS THE ART OF QUESTIONING WHAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED: An Inquiry Into the “American Dream”

Jeremy Engels, Tiara Good, John Minbiole, William Saas, Frank Stec

Communication Arts and Sciences

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

This essay frames rhetoric as the art of questioning what we take for granted. As a case study, we analyze three different and competing commonplace versions of the American Dream jostling for attention in the American consciousness. We conclude with a call to action for teachers and scholars of rhetoric: to critique and deconstruct the “taken for granted” notions of democracy in neoliberal times and to give our students the tools they need to understand rhetoric not as a means of dissembling and division, but rather as a method of bringing communities together in ways that are historically accountable in order to work towards social and political progress.

Original language	English (US)
Title of host publication	The Routledge Handbook of Rhetoric and Power
Publisher	Taylor and Francis
Pages	106-116
Number of pages	11
ISBN (Electronic)	9781040130032
ISBN (Print)	9781032554693
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003430858-11
State	Published - Jan 1 2024

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

General Arts and Humanities
General Social Sciences

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10.4324/9781003430858-11

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RHETORICAL CRITICISM AS THE ART OF QUESTIONING WHAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED: An Inquiry Into the “American Dream”

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