Abstract:
Using an understanding of rhetoric put forward by Kenneth Burke, one which emphasizes
the role of identification in rhetorical interaction, this project examines the techniques
used by Franklin Roosevelt to raise the class-consciousness of American workers in the
midst of the Great Depression. By implementing rhetorical techniques such as metaphors
and allusions, often historical or religious, FDR was able to educate regular Americans
on their material roles and conditions, foster solidarity between them, and inspire action
that would shift the balance of power and help bring working people out of economic
crisis. Though much of what the New Deal accomplished has been stripped away in the
era of neoliberalism, turning to FDR can provide us with crucial strategies for rebuilding
and reorganizing the working classes in these particularly turbulent times.
