DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/26HK-B181
Defense Date
2005
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Patricia H. Perry
Abstract
According to Tom Shachtman, "the speech of too few people achieves eloquence, and that of the vast majority does not even reach a tolerable level of articulate behavior" (5). Articulate behavior has not always been a rare characteristic; from antiquity through the mid-twentieth century, the study of rhetoric was privileged and considered necessary for a well-rounded education. If today's society is inarticulate, then how can eloquence and articulateness be reintroduced as staples of a successful person in today's society? The answer is easy - through the study of rhetoric. After examining the study of rhetoric from antiquity to the present, I will demonstrate the need for a strong rhetorical education, both Writing Across the Curriculum and Speaking Across the Curriculum (through a Speech Center) programs, a dialogic peer/tutor relationship, and a Speech Center that fits the needs of a university, in order to reverse the downward spiral of eloquence in speech.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
June 2008