In her speech,
Condoleezza used nearly all of the political language strategies including
reinforcement, identification, polarization, defining, labeling, creating
drama, and persuasion. Reinforcement is obviously was a very influential
strategy for Condoleezza to use during this speech, she was speaking to a large
group of Republicans making reinforcement one of the easiest strategies for her
to use. The group she was speaking to agree with her ideologically, if not exactly
more so than they did with the Democratic candidate, so nearly everything she said
reinforced their beliefs and values while also getting the audience excited.
I believe that a lot
of the strategies were used intertwined for example Condoleezza used defining
to define family values as a Republican value, everyone to an extent has family
values so all of the people in the audience probably thought, “well I think
family is important” thus reinforcing their affiliation to the Republican
party.
Condoleezza used
identification heavily throughout her speech; she
repeatedly said the words “our Party” which automatically gives of the idea
that she and the audience are one in the same that they are on the same side. Rice
also told a story at the end of the speech about her grandfather, Granddaddy
Rice, and how he came from nothing and made something of himself; she said that
was not only her grandfather’s story but also the American story. By saying
that his story is the American story she is making it possible for the audience
to put themselves in that story and relate to what she is saying.
Polarization was used but only once and briefly, I
believe that was because she knew that the audience was on her side and she was
not needed to persuade them to switch affiliations. She used polarization by
telling the story of how her father decided to become a Republican, “He joined
our party because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register
him to vote. The Republicans did. My father has never forgotten that day, and
neither have I.”
Rice creates drama by talking
about the possibility of war, and blackmail that could happen if an outlaw
state got access to long-range ballistic missiles.
Rice uses labeling to say that protecting our country,
and using our military is a good thing, that being victorious is a good thing,
and that letting other countries blackmail and threaten us is a bad thing. Lastly
as in every political communication there is the use of persuasion. Rice talks
up President George W. Bush and makes him seem like an amazing man and candidate.
I feel that Rice was successful in her functions of the political language;
mainly because her main objective was completed George W. Bush won the
election.
The main strategy
that I do not think was used was inoculation and that is because it was not
necessary. When the people you are talking to agree with you, there is no need
to defend your position. When Rice gave this speech George W. Bush was the
Republican candidate for the presidential election, and the people who attend
the Republican National Convention are Republican’s so they were already on his
side.
I encourage you all to read this speech; knowing all that
has happened with the war in the Middle East it was interesting and kind of
eerie to read.
