Post 4

A Rhetorical Analysis of Jello Biafra's 2008 Address at Open the Debate:

       In a monetized political scene dominated by politicians that represent that represent only a sliver of the ideas shared by the American people, input from anybody that represents a third party comes as a refreshing gust of air. Jello Biafra, punk superstar turned activist, rejuvinated my faith in the United States' electorial system two and a half weeks ago when he gave a keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention "Let Nader Debate" rally held in Demver's Magness Arena. He preached to the audience passionately about the barriers the electoral system places to stifle diversity of though, and urged the crowd not to settle for the less of two evils; Barack Obama. The speech did not recieve much converage, and was not expected to, but nonetheless Biafra employed a slew of rhetorical devices to great effect.

    Biafra invokes heaps of ethos and pathos with his opening statement, "Looking around the past few days, once again it really brings home to me how rabidly anti-Democratic the Democratic party really is." The colloquial diction Biafra uses draws him closer to his audience, which consists mostly of people who disagree the rigid and linear nature of the current U.S. political machine. Also, Biafra establishes his credibility among the audience with his clever use of the phrase "once again." The two words imply that Biafra has experience in the field of social criticism, and that current problem he is facing is just one of many he has helped conquer. The sentence also invokes pathos for Biafra's cause through the irony it brings to light by juxtaposing the word "democratic" with a corruption of the word that takes the form of the Democratic Party. Biafra eases himself into the listeners' minds with his attempt at humor, making his audience much more succeptable to whatever he has to say next.

   The primary rhetorical device Biafra uses throughout the body of his speech is the juxtaposition of political facts with humor. By telling the audience a fact, setting a historical precident, then cracking a joke at that fact's expense, Biafra makes the morsel of information seem absolutely ludicrous. His speech consists almost entirely of the repeated use of this technique, with the security at the Democratic National Convention, right wing politics, and left wing appeasement at the tip of his spear.

   Biafra also dips heavily into his pool of literary trophe in his speech. Being one of the most celebrated lyrisists of his time, Biafra revels in the power of diction. He uses turns of phrase such as "Bill Clintoned" and "freedom fried" in order to give the listener something to grasp onto even after they have left the stadium. By translating his opinions into catchphrases like "dealmakers not leaders" and "Don't hate the media, become the media," both produces an emotional appeal for his ideas and adds grease to the wheels that circulate his opinions.

Footage for the address can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNW7L_bsjHQ&feature=related