Gone are the days when a presidential speech oozed sophistication because of the authors usage of lofty sentences, adorned with array of intellectual vocabulary. It is quite the opposite in modern times, where a redefined eloquence stems from the use of simplistic word choices which hold equal power in persuading the American people. The shift from using formal language, to using more of the everyday speech possibly suggests that the American people have progressively become less smart and therefore presidential rhetoric has been dumbed down in order for the average American to understand what is being said. However, a more polarizing argument is that, presidential rhetoric has evolved largely because of the technological advances experienced in the modern world. This has resulted in a new way of living, where a fast paced, instant society dominants and almost everything, and everyone are quickly accessible unlike before. It was paramount that the modern presidents adjust to this change in order to continue connecting with their audience as their predecessors did in the past, and similarly, presidents of the traditional period adjusted as well from the founding period due to innovations like broadcast television, and the societal changes that insured after the country found itself in times of peril. Based on the information presented below, it is arguable that presidential rhetoric has become more anti-intellectual, informal, and more abstract as a result of the growing technological developments of the modern world (Lim 20).
Literature Review.
Past researches from scholars like Kathleen Jamieson, Elvin Lim, Ryan Teten, Theodore Windt Jr. and David Zarefsky proved to be relevant and reliable when looking at the evolution of presidential rhetoric. Each scholar tackles this subject from a different angle which ultimately led to the results of different conclusions. In her research, Jamieson explores presidential rhetoric as a genre of rhetoric itself.