The Vice-Presidential campaign of Geraldine Ferraro : a rhetorical analysis.

This thesis analyzes the rhetoric of Geraldine Ferraro's Vice-Presidential campaign of 1984. Her role as the first female candidate for the second highest office in the nation is studied through a critical analysis of her rhetoric. The paper considers the rhetorical problems she faced with respect to her gender, her background, and the situation facing the Democrats in 1984. It analyzes the strategies she utilized based upon the component parts of the speeches. Finally, her rhetoric is evaluated using a standard of adaptation, how well Ferraro adapted to her rhetorical problem. Chapter One discusses the importance of the study, reviews the literature written on Ferraro and her campaign, and outlines the methodology. It analyzes the study's importance as a historical work, as well as a rhetorical one. The literature on Ferraro is evaluated based upon its importance to the present analysis. Finally, the method of study, an analysis of Ferraro's rhetoric as an answer to her rhetorical problem, is outlined. Chapter Two discusses the rhetorical problems Ferraro faced. It briefly describes the situation facing the Democrats and the reasons behind Ferraro's nomination. The problems her campaign faced are analyzed, including the problems she uniquely faced, the problems she faced as the first major female candidate for national office, and the problems the Democrats faced in the 1984 campaign. Chapter Three contains the descriptive analysis. Initially, the speeches were broken down into their component parts. The strategies Ferraro used, based upon an analysis of the elements of the speech, appear in this chapter. The three speeches studied, based upon their importance to, and representation of, the campaign, are the acceptance speech at the 1984 Democratic convention, Ferraro's press conference relating to finances, and the Vice-Presidential debate. Chapter Four contains the evaluation of Ferraro's rhetoric. Using the standard of adaptation, this chapter evaluates Ferraro's rhetoric as an answer to her rhetorical problem. This section contains an evaluation of each speech, as well as an on balance judgment of the campaign. The chapter concludes with limitations of the study and implications for further research.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1984

Author dc:creator

• Walker, Erik Brett.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Rowland, Robert C., 1954-

• Ferraro, Geraldine.
• Campaign speeches.
• Women -- Political activity.
• Rhetoric -- Political aspects -- Case studies.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14304

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14304