Synopses & Reviews
The words we hear or say, the images we make or see, usually have multiple meanings, connections, allusions, and resonances, yet we are rarely aware of all of those implications. Sometimes movies, television shows, political speeches, and hip hop music carry in disguise certain thoughts, attitudes, political and social convictions. That is to say, a text or message may seem to be about one thing on the surface, but it is also about another thing, if we know how to unlock the text. For instance, some may argue that The Lord of the Rings, which appears to be about elves and hobbits and orcs, is also about World War Two or the Cold War, but in disguise.We live in an age of discovered secrets. From the DaVinci Code to the Bible Code, from television shows revealing ???The Secrets of ??? to supermarket tabloids??? promises that ???Now It Can Be Revealed, ??? people are fascinated with the idea that There Is More To This Than Meets The Eye. This book develops some methods and perspectives by which the hidden rhetorics of texts may, in fact, be made clear for students willing to learn how to read them.The essays that compose this book explore how many of the texts we encounter in popular culture today are addressing social issues in ways that are not immediately apparent. The book's focus on ???disguised rhetoric??? helps students to think critically about entertainment media for their subtle processes of persuasion. The themes of these essays are meant to intrigue students even as the essays empower them to uncover the hidden rhetorics in other texts they may encounter.Because it is important to know what we are doing if we engage social issues in talk, films, popular music, television, and so forth, understanding how social issues may be disguised in discourse is an important goal. If we need to disguise social issues we should do so with awareness, and we should especially be aware of how those issues may be disguised in the messages we encounter. This book is a collection of essays that explores a wide range of ways in which social issues may be disguised in the public talk of leaders, news media, and ordinary people as well as in the texts of entertainment and popular culture. The goal of the book is to give its readers some tools for seeing the hidden social issues in those texts. Whether you intend to produce public messages or, as is the case for most of us, consume them, knowing how to see through those disguises is important.
Synopsis
One of the most important benefits of this book is that Brummet and his contributors demonstrate interesting ways to read critically. -T.B. Dykeman, CHOICEUnmasking the social and political messages found in popular culture Sometimes movies, television shows, political speeches, and music lyrics seem to be about one thing on the surface but express other serious social and political issues when we examine them more closely. Using methods of formal analysis, Uncovering Hidden Rhetorics: Social Issues in Disguise offers students and scholars a key to unlocking hidden text that abounds in popular culture. Key Features Weaves meticulous analysis with popular culture throughout, keeping students and scholarly readers alike engaged and interested Empowers students to find hidden themes in texts of everyday life and inspires ongoing critical thinking Using a clear and engaging style and examples of well-known works makes formal analysis more accessible Intended Audience Interested scholars and upper-level undergraduate students enrolled in such courses as rhetoric and popular culture, contemporary rhetorical theory/criticism, media criticism, popular culture and mass communication, rhetorical methods, and so forth will find this compelling text an informative and delightful read.
Synopsis
Sometimes movies, television shows, political speeches, and music lyrics seem to be about one thing on the surface but express other serious social and political issues when we examine them more closely. Using methods of formal analysis, Uncovering Hidden Rhetorics: Social Issues in Disguise offers students and scholars a key to unlocking hidden text that abounds in popular culture.