Crisis of Confidence: Symbols, Motifs, and Rhetorical Devices
Crisis of Confidence: Symbols, Motifs, and Rhetorical Devices
Confidence
Confidence plays a major role in Carter's speech—there's a whole dang crisis about it. But what's so particularly telling about this speech (and what's so particularly controversial) is that Cart...
Energy
Carter mentions energy a lot in this speech. And we mean a lot, a lot. In fact, before this speech, he had given four other speeches all relating to the topic of energy. But what exactly does he me...
The "Government"
As with energy, Carter's meaning behind the term "government" goes beyond the brick and mortar of any official building like the White House or Congress. For this speech, think of Government (and t...
The "Nation"
If the government is Steve Urkel, then Carter seeks to paint the nation as Hulk Hogan in the power relationship we described when we talked about the motif of "The Government." By downplaying the e...