Watch a somewhat recent (in the last year) political speech. Identify three ideographs and explain how you see each functioning vertically and horizontally. You should define both of these to help make your connection.
Also, tell us whether you see this speech as invitational and why/why not.
Week 4 Ideographs in Action
President Joseph Biden’s inaugural speech uses different ideographs. The speech emphasizes unity, American values, truth, and liberty to rally the American people on the new beginning. The speech speaks of democracy and unity as part of the themes that characterized his presidential campaigns. Biden acknowledged how calls for unity in the problems that Americans face remind American society of the inherent values that have existed throughout history. All the ideograph functions horizontally and vertically to make the Americans relate to the new government and synchronize the need for unity to achieve the American dream.
The first ideography is unity. President Biden’s called for unity in his inaugural speech, echoing Abraham Lincoln. The ideograph functions vertically and horizontally because it builds on an unruly mob’s unprecedented assault on the Capital in January 2021. The calls for unity aim at averting future conflicts and rally Americans to build a new resolve in growing as a united people. McGee indicates that ideographs play a critical role in describing and evaluating the legitimacy of the public motives (4). Therefore, the speech calls for unity reflects the invocation of truth as the principle of unity. The reason for this is that a new beginning takes rhetoric and actions. The president knew that all stakeholders needed to put aside their differences and work for bipartisanship.
The second ideography is democracy. The president used the speech to celebrate the cause of democracy and the triumph of his candidature. Therefore, it emerges that the will of the people is foundational in any democratic process. Biden’s indicated how society learned that democracy is fragile and precious, but it has prevailed. The ideograph functions vertically to bring to attention the challenges of the Trump regime, which divided the country in half. Biden’s speech recognizes the inability of Trump to indicate his unwillingness for a peaceful transfer of power. In this case, the speech emphasizes this ideograph to acknowledge the nation’s strength and the resilience of the constitution in promoting democracy. As a result, people understand that America is a great nation composed of good people. Also, Biden emphasizes that even after centuries of strife, America has stood as a nation because of democratic values.
The third ideograph is rebuilding America. Biden’s calls of Americans to work hard and ensure America is different. The speech argues that there has been progressing irrespective of the divisions. In these moments, the presidents reinforce the message that all good people will have to come together to continue carrying America forward. The ideograph functions horizontal by advocating for the synchronic structural changes in calling for unity (13). Biden’s speech embraces this ideography to function both vertically and horizontally. It does this by underscoring how American society can reinvent its belief in its values. Therefore, when a society disagrees with its shared values, it undermines its strength to build a progressive and successful society.
Biden’s inaugural speech was invitational rhetoric. The whole speech was a deliberate attempt to establish a relationship with the American people based on truth, unity, democratic principles, and rebuilding of American values. The speech impacts the audience through invitational rhetoric by allowing them to embrace the political philosophy of Biden. The president alluded to religion and Christianity to encourage the Americans to endure the previous regime’s problems caused. The basis of invitational rhetoric lies in persuasion (Floss and Griffin p.2). Thus, the allusion is invitational rhetoric that rallies the public to be strong and find his presidency as a trusted partner for progress, security, and unity. The president promises a raft of measures that would restore America to its former glory.
Work Cited
Foss, Sonja K., and Cindy L. Griffin. “Beyond persuasion: A proposal for an invitational rhetoric.” Communications Monographs 62.1 (1995): 2-18.
McGee, Michael Calvin. “The “ideograph”: A link between rhetoric and ideology.” Quarterly journal of speech 66.1 (1980): 1-16.
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