Individual Presentation or Panel Title
Analysis of a High Ranking Military Official’s Farewell Address to Congress
Abstract
General Douglas MacArthur was found guilty of acts of insubordination against the President of the United States, Harry Truman. These acts of insubordination led to the immediate discharge of his military duties. General MacArthur was considered an American hero for his military leadership in World War II and the general appointed to lead the United Nations forces in South Korea during the Korean Wars of 1950. The discharge of his military duties ignited an American controversy because the public revered him. General MacArthur delivered a farewell address to Congress in 1951 as a direct response to this controversy. Through this address he aims to defends himself and salvage his reputation as an American hero. Communication scholars Ware and Linkugel identify four distinctive strategies that speakers use in apologia speeches, speeches to defend oneself. The four distinctive strategies are denial, bolstering, differentiation, and transcendence. In this paper I argue that General MacArthur effectively utilizes denial and bolstering strategies to reform his reputation in the eyes of the larger American civil audience.
Location
Goodwin Private Dining Room
Start Date
3-5-2014 2:30 PM
End Date
3-5-2014 3:20 PM
Analysis of a High Ranking Military Official’s Farewell Address to Congress
Goodwin Private Dining Room
General Douglas MacArthur was found guilty of acts of insubordination against the President of the United States, Harry Truman. These acts of insubordination led to the immediate discharge of his military duties. General MacArthur was considered an American hero for his military leadership in World War II and the general appointed to lead the United Nations forces in South Korea during the Korean Wars of 1950. The discharge of his military duties ignited an American controversy because the public revered him. General MacArthur delivered a farewell address to Congress in 1951 as a direct response to this controversy. Through this address he aims to defends himself and salvage his reputation as an American hero. Communication scholars Ware and Linkugel identify four distinctive strategies that speakers use in apologia speeches, speeches to defend oneself. The four distinctive strategies are denial, bolstering, differentiation, and transcendence. In this paper I argue that General MacArthur effectively utilizes denial and bolstering strategies to reform his reputation in the eyes of the larger American civil audience.