Clare Booth Luce Essay

Clare Booth Luce uses the introduction of her speech to set the stage up for constructive criticism over the tendency of American press to sacrifice journalistic integrity in favor of perceived of the perceived public demand for sensational stories.

Luces first uses contrasting words in her opening to show her feelings at being there. Luce uses the words “flattery” and “disappointment” with in the first few lines of introduction. These words have very contrasting meanings. The word “flattery” means she is honored and appreciative of the invite, while “disappointment” is what will be discussed in her speech. Luce uses the contrasting terms to show her thanks of the invite, but also to remind that they asked for her guidance and not to be

taken aback buy the criticism. This allows the audience to be more willing to listen since she appealed to them through morality, showing that she is not ungrateful. This will allow her message to more deeply penetrate the true authors in them because it can be taken as constructive criticism and not a personal attack. Additionally, she reminds them that she is speaking to the American Press as a whole and that it’s no individuals fault that they are receiving criticism. Rather that she is addressing a minor flaw in the corporation that is compromising there validity as writers.
After the introduction of thanks to her audience, Luce uses contrasting phrases depict her true disappointment to the American Press.

Luce uses an analogy of disappointment and religious imagery to construct the contrasting tones. For example, in the first line of the second paragraph she states, “I stand here at this rostrum invited to throw rocks at you.” She uses the analogy of a rock thrower to depict her disappointment. Just like a rock thrower is to cast disappointment on a persecuted person, she is doing the same action with her criticism towards the American Press, instead with words and not rocks. The analogy allows the audience to truly understand her purpose of this speech and the tone it will take. However, Luce doesn’t just use the analogy to aid the audiences understanding, she deploys religious imagery as well. She uses Billy Grahams and Bishop Sheens not only as common ground for her writers with religious back ground, but also as mild humor which keeps her audience attentive. The analogy she uses shows her true purpose and meaning, while the humor is promoting a open and gentle environment to break the tension making the criticism become less attacking. Striving to be constructive and helpful she praises the American Press for the accomplishments, then refutes them with criticism. Her system of rebuttals to each positive outcome shows what her main goal in her speech is to correct the American Press and and make them more effective as

journalists.
Luce deploys multiple examples of rhetoric through out here introduction to prepare her audience for her message. Rather than attacking the press she shows that she is speaking to them as a writer who wants quality journalism. She dose so by critiquing there inabilities of truth telling and showing her disappointment through the analogy of a rock thrower, yet personalizes the speech with the use of religious imagery that in turn, lessens the tension between Luce and her audience in a form of humor. She uses this structure of praise and rebuttal throughout her introduction to make it clear to the American Press that she is there to help with constructive criticism.