Noting that the terms used by the Western media in describing the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran by the Ayatollah Khomeini have created the impression that the Ayatollah is both irrational and inhumane, this paper argues from contemporary eclectic rhetorical theory--that "rationality" is a function of perspective--to…

Kenneth Burke, whose positions have served as the basis for countless research projects in speech communication, believes that people are actors acting out life in the social drama with the purpose of achieving the ultimate good. Considering speakers as actors centers attention on the analysis of individuals in terms of their actions as actors and…

The tendency to think of a literary work as an object or entity existing apart from author and reader has been the greatest stumbling block in literary criticism and the teaching of literature. The transaction between a reader and a text involves the reader in a highly complex, ongoing process of selection and organization. Keeping the reader's…

Because it focuses on questions of communication, the experimental theatre of the 1970s, particularly that created by Robert Wilson and Richard Foreman, can be analyzed according to two distinct theories regarding the communication process. The first theory defines communication as a process in which the communicator selects and transmits messages…

Chaim Perelman, in "The New Rhetoric," discusses a paradigm for understanding how study of composition can be altered by knowledge of thought processes gained by cognitive psychologists and psycholinguists. He describes this rhetoric as "rhetorical rationalism" that recognizes a multiplicity of ways of being reasonable and…

Based on the proceedings of a two-week seminar about Afro-American literature, this book is designed as a carefully orchestrated presentation of the central ideas that sparked the meetings and made them significant. The essays are arranged in sections that discuss Afro-American literary history, black figurative language, Afro-American literature…

It is proposed in this report that theories about reading processes and about the structure of what is read can be readily formulated in schema theory terms. Previous work on the structure of texts is first reviewed and problems with earlier formalisms and scoring methods are discussed. Analyses are then presented of the structure of three types…

This report on a conference, which brought together representatives of various humanistic disciplines to explore the cross-disciplinary appeal of film study as well as the use of film in stimulating scholarship and teaching, includes a narrative summary of the day's conversations and issues raised, as well as of reprints of articles that suggest…

Kenneth Burke's 20 ratios permit the rhetorical critic to make very specific statements about the discourse under analysis and open the way for analytic speculation. The ratio method permits the critic to describe and understand the specific qualities of practical ethical dispute. Burkian ratios were employed to analyze the justificatory rhetoric…

The image of the Puerto Rican in 33 books written between 1950 and 1980 for young adults was examined. Nine reviewers evaluated the books for their characterization of Puerto Rican socioeconomic status, demographic status, educational attainment, family representation, and male/female roles. The negative image of the Puerto Rican that emerged from…

The theme of this issue of the "Connecticut English Journal" is poetry instruction. Numerous ideas, examples, programs, and resources are offered to help students and teachers learn to read, analyze, write, and enjoy poems. The 28 articles and poems provide interpretations of what poetry is, ideas for publishing student writing, strategies for…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 16 titles deal with the following topics: (1) the philosophy of rhetoric; (2) an analytical study of the development of major concepts of causality in philosophy; (3) an ontological approach to interpersonal communication…

This paper examines classroom techniques for stimulating students' critical faculties in viewing commercial television. The thrust is not only to increase critical viewing judgments, but also to heighten their knowledge of the literary elements of television. Television literacy may be developed by attention to the artistry of the television…

MOTIVATING STUDENTS TO WRITE, THROUGH INSTRUCTION IN JOURNALISTIC PROSE, IS THE PRIMARY AIM OF THIS NINTH-GRADE CURRICULUM GUIDE. IT CONTAINS FOUR UNITS--"AN INTRODUCTION TO THE WRITING PROCESS" (THREE LESSONS), "THE JOURNALISTIC REPORT" (FIVE LESSONS), "THE JOURNALISTIC ANALYSIS" (11 LESSONS), AND "THE…

The formal and substantive traits of the television program, "60 Minutes" reflect characteristics manifest in Daniel Boorstin's conception of the "pseudo-event." Through both the verbal and visual imagery presented in the context of a narrative format, this television news magazine illustrates the significance of mass media…