Name________________________________ Using Tone (Dec 22)

DO NOW: Take 5-8 minutes to read through this article about Donald Trump. Pay attention to the times when you see the word “rhetoric.” Then, write what you think the word “rhetoric” means, based on the way it is used here. (Article is from The New York Times, December 5, 2015)

The dark power of words has become the defining feature of Mr. Trump’s bid for the White House to a degree rarely seen in modern politics, as he forgoes the usual campaign trappings — policy, endorsements, commercials, donations — and instead relies on potent1 language to connect with, and often stoke, the fears and grievances of Americans.

The New York Times analyzed every public utterance by Mr. Trump over the past week from rallies, speeches, interviews and news conferences to explore the leading candidate’s hold on the Republican electorate2 for the past five months. The transcriptions yielded 95,000 words and several powerful patterns, demonstrating how Mr. Trump has built one of the most surprising political movements in decades and, historians say, echoing the appeals of some demagogues 3of the past century.

The most striking hallmark was Mr. Trump’s constant repetition of divisive phrases, harsh words and violent imagery that American presidents rarely use, based on a quantitative comparison of his remarks and the news conferences of recent presidents, Democratic and Republican. He has a particular habit of saying “you” and “we” as he inveighs against a dangerous “them” or unnamed other — usually outsiders like illegal immigrants (“they’re pouring in”), Syrian migrants (“young, strong men”) and Mexicans, but also leaders of both political parties.

And Mr. Trump uses rhetoric to erode people’s trust in facts, numbers, nuance, government and the news media, according to specialists in political rhetoric. “Nobody knows,” he likes to declare, where illegal immigrants are coming from or the rate of increase of health care premiums under the Affordable Care Act, even though government agencies collect and publish this information. He insists that Mr. Obama wants to accept 250,000 Syrian migrants, even though no such plan exists, and repeats discredited rumors that thousands of Muslims were cheering in New Jersey during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He promises to “bomb the hell” out of enemies — invoking Hiroshima and Nagasaki — and he says he would attack his political opponents “10 times as hard” as they criticize him.

This pattern of elevating emotional appeals over rational ones is a rhetorical style that historians, psychologists and political scientists placed in the tradition of political figures like Goldwater, George Wallace, Joseph McCarthy4, Huey Long and Pat Buchanan, who used fiery language to try to win favor with struggling or scared Americans. Several historians watched Mr. Trump’s speeches last week, at the request of The Times, and observed techniques — like vilifying5 groups of people and stoking6 the insecurities of his audiences — that they associate with Wallace and McCarthy.

“His entire campaign is run like a demagogue’s — his language of division, his cult of personality, his manner of categorizing and maligning people with a broad brush,” said Jennifer Mercieca, an expert in American political discourse7 at Texas A&M University. “If you’re an illegal immigrant, you’re a loser. If you’re captured in war, like John McCain, you’re a loser. If you have a disability, you’re a loser. It’s rhetoric like Wallace’s — it’s not a kind or generous rhetoric.”

It is the sort of trust-me-and-only-me rhetoric that, according to historians, demagogues have used to insist that they have unique qualities that can lead the country through turmoil.

Based on the way it is used here, I think the word “rhetoric” probably means:

1 potent = powerful2 electorate = voters3 demagogue = a leader who becomes popular by appealing to people’s emotions and prejudices 4 Joseph McCarthy = anti-Communist senator whose accusations became the inspiration for Arthur Miller’s The Crucible 5 vilify = to describe someone in a way that makes them seem guilty or evil 6 stoking = making something more powerful 7 discourse = way of speaking/using language

Name________________________________ Using Tone (Dec 22)

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Name________________________________ Using Tone (Dec 22)

ACTIVITY DIRECTIONS: Yesterday we analyzed political speeches by identifying the tone that was used. Today it’s your turn to OWN this rhetorical strategy by trying it out yourself. Pick one of the topics listed below, and then write a speech about that topic in one of the possible tones that are given. Use some figurative language (imagery, simile, metaphor) to help you SET THE TONE.

Topic number one: Aliens have made contact with planet Earth! You are the president; address the nation on television and tell the people what they need to know.

Tone choice A: EXCITED (use words like amazing, incredible)Tone choice B: WORRIED/FEARFUL (use words like dangerous, threatening)

Topic number two: Your best friend just got their heart broken by their lying boyfriend/girlfriend. Your friend needs to talk to you about it; what do you say?

Tone choice A: ANGRYTone choice B: CALMING, SOOTHING, GENTLE

Topic choice three: You are the captain of the sports team and your teammates just lost the big game. What is your locker room speech?

Tone choice A: CRITICAL (use words like disappointing, upset)Tone choice B: ENCOURAGING (use words like potential, perseverance)

Topic choice four: You are being teased by a bully at school. How do you respond?

Tone choice A: HUMOROUS/FUNNYTone choice B: SERIOUS

My speech:

FINISHED EARLY? KIEFER’S GOT YOU! TRY THE BONUS ON THE NEXT PAGE

Name________________________________ Using Tone (Dec 22)

BONUS ACTIVITY: Read the article below, then answer the question.

“How Donald Trump Talks” By JEREMY B. MERRILL DEC. 5, 2015

The voice of a president is typically dignified, measured, even solemn at times. If elected, Donald J. Trump could change all that.

Mr. Trump’s word choices differ markedly from those of America’s past five presidents, according to a review of his public utterances over the past week.

Mr. Trump’s language is darker, more violent and more prone to insults and aggrandizing.How often have you heard a president of the United States call something – let alone somebody — stupid? It is extremely rare.

“Maddeningly stupid” was how Bill Clinton described some of Saddam Hussein’s actions in 1997. President Obama said the Cambridge, Mass., police had acted “stupidly” in arresting Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his home in 2009.

But Mr. Trump? Over the past week, he called his political opponents “stupid” at least 30 times in public.

“We are being run by stupid people,” he said. “I used to say incompetent. But stupid is really, you know, is the next stage.”

On another occasion he cast the blame widely. “We’re stupid people, we’re being led by stupid people, and we’re stupid because we allow these people to get into office.”

Mr. Trump talks about himself a lot, using first-person singular pronouns like “I” and “me” more often than the recent presidents did.

He uses these words about as often as George Bush, and more than President Obama. Mr. Trump’s language is pessimistic. He uses the word “problem” often — at least 87 times in the past week. “I want to make this country so great again, it’s got such problems,” he said.

There is also much, in Mr. Trump’s view, that is terrible – a word he uttered 20 times. “We got this one guy, he’s terrible, he’s the worst debater I’ve ever seen,” Mr. Trump said of Gov. John R. Kasich of Ohio, another contender for the Republican nomination. “He’s terrible. He’s terrible,” he added seconds later.

To Mr. Trump, things are merely good (114 times) less often than they are great (168), even excluding his frequent campaign pledges to make America again.

What is great, in Mr. Trump’s view? His hotels. His memory. His temperament. The people he will put in charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The city of Sarasota, Fla. His respect for the people of Mexico. And, of course, the wall he wants to build on the border with that country.

QUESTION: Why do you think a major newspaper would write a story on the word choices of Donald Trump? How is this information useful to their audience? (Use at least one piece of text evidence in your answer)

Name________________________________ Using Tone (Dec 22)