YAHOO! News
A viewer's guide: What to watch for during Obama's State of the Union speech
Click the link above to read the article I am commenting on...
Let's first review the meaning of "God" & "Devil" terms. Both instigate feelings within in the audience, however, they differ greatly from one another. "God" terms are words and concepts we all use throughout our everyday lives to describe or communicate ideas of universal positivity. By this I mean, words that almost no one would disagree on their overall theme or mood. Some "God" terms include words such as, freedom, prosperity, happiness, success, and the like. On the other side of the coin, there are "Devil" terms. These words do slightly the opposite of their "God" counterparts, and tend to prompt feelings of uneasiness, discomfort, hostility, or even anger. "Devil" terms can be words that do not necessary instigate any of these listed emotions for you, but may for your audience, which then implies that the use of "Devil" terms should be, and usually are, monitored more closely than other language and especially "God" terms.
The use of both of these terms is extremely prevalent in today’s political speeches. No exception is the president’s State of the Union speech. Here I have placed a link to an article informing the public of what they should watch for in Obama’s upcoming speech. In this article, Sasseen notes that the president has not had much luck connecting on an emotional level with the voters in the past few speeches, with the exception of his address at the Tucson memorial. To fix this problem, and to “win” back some of his once loyal voters, he must convince Americans of his sincerity and clear understanding of our economic situation at hand. To do so, he will most likely overuse his repertoire of “God” terms and very carefully select the “Devil” terms he will be using. The use of “God” terms in this speech will inspire feelings of positivity in the hearts and minds of his audience, whilst the few “Devil” terms he chooses to use will starkly remind the voters of his intentions and the apparent reality. Use of BOTH of these terms is necessary in speeches such as Obama’s State of the Union due to the high emotional response and their ability to originate feelings otherwise not received through language without these terms.
-Lex
Lex-- I found your thoughts on God and Devil terms to be very insightful. Being that I wrote my very first blog on a somewhat simliar topic-- I was able to find areas in your blog that we both agree and disagree upon. I completely agree with the fact that in something as highly viewed and publicized as the State of the Union speech, God terms are a MUST. Using inspiring and positive words are important, especially now-- being that as you had said, Obama felt pressure to regain some of his supporters' loyalty. However, I disagree that Devil terms must be used at all in a speech so important. Right now our country is in peril, we need reassuring words and actions more than ever. I understand that reminders of our reality are inevitable, I just don't think a "Devil term" is necessary to get that point across. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteAlexa and Emily--While the focus on the State of the Union speech is a great idea (relevant, significant, timely), I'm frustrated by the fact that neither of you mention any specific language choices made by the President! The result is that your commentaries don't provide any insight into the way President Obama actually used God and Devil terms.
ReplyDeleteThis is because I wrote this blog on the article I posted above, not his actual speech. The article did not include the exact ways in which he used these terms because it was written before the speech was given.
ReplyDelete