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

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