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- Title
Consoling Through Faith: A Rhetorical Analysis of Religious References in Bill Clinton's Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Prayer Service Address.
- Authors
Schrader, Valerie Lynn
- Abstract
This rhetorical analysis examines Bill Clinton's use of religious references in his Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Prayer Service Address, observing that Clinton's use of religious language in this speech takes many forms, including direct references to God, "evil," and Scripture. Clinton appears to use religious references in an attempt to console his audience through what he perceives to be a shared faith, attempting to show the audience that those responsible for the bombing will be brought to justice, and that those who perished in the Oklahoma City Bombing will live on both in the audience's memories and with God in Heaven. This article suggests that Clinton's usage of religious language in this speech may be connected to his personal religious convictions and to the nature of the eulogy genre. Using Clinton as an example, this article contends that presidents may use religious rhetoric in times of crisis to console the grieving audience by assuring them that God is with those who suffered during the crisis, with those who are left behind to mourn, and with the nation as a whole.
- Subjects
RHETORICAL analysis; CLINTON, Bill, 1946-; LANGUAGE &; religion; MEMORIALS; PRAYER meetings; FAITH; OKLAHOMA City Federal Building Bombing, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1995
- Publication
Kentucky Journal of Communication, 2011, Vol 30, Issue 1, p13
- ISSN
1533-3140
- Publication type
Article