The Impeachment of Richard Nixon - Essay Example

Write a Critical Analysis of the Opening ment to the House Judiciary Committee Proceedings on the Impeachment of Richard Nixon Table of Content Introduction 3 Research Questions 3 Thesis Statement 4 Justification of the Study 4 Preview of the Topic 5 Literature Review/Background 5 Brief Summary of the Artifact 5 Relevant Background 6 Significance of this Artifact 7 Method of Analysis 7 Bitzer’s Concept of Rhetorical Situation 7 Neo-Aristotelian Criticism 8 Report of Findings 8 Application of Bitzer’s Concept for Rhetoric Situation 8 Application of Neo-Aristotelian Criticism 9 Conclusion 11 11 Works Cited 12 Introduction On 25th July, 1974, the House of Judiciary Committee assembled to consider the impeachment of articles charged against Mr. Richard Nixon, the 37th US president, for his offenses linked with the conspiracy of Watergate scandal. The scandal however led to the first resignation of US president in the history which certainly gave rise to fluctuations in the then socio-political environment of the nation. Being a representative of the committee and strongly moved by the process of investigation executed in order to prove the truthfulness of all the accusations brought against the president, Barbara Jordan delivered the opening statement to the House Judiciary Committee. From the opening statement it can be observed that Barbara Jordan joined as a junior member of the House of Judiciary committee, where she was able to avail the opportunity to share her perceptions regarding the investigation executed in relation to the Watergate scandal involving President Nixon for his alleged offenses (Nolo, “Barbara Jordans "Statement on the Articles of Impeachment"). Research Questions The purpose of this paper is to analyze the opening statement of Barbara Jordan to the House Judiciary Committee which was based on the proceedings which were being executed on the impeachment of the then president, Mr. Richard Nixon. The theory based on which the study will be conducted deliberates that the opening statement had been an illustration of the rhetoric situation. With this belief, the opening statement will be analyzed with the help of ‘Bitzer’s rhetorical situation’ and ‘Neo-Aristotelian criticism’. Hence, the research questions to be considered in this study would be, Can the situation presented in the opening statement be considered as rhetoric with reference to the concept presented by Bitzer in his theory of rhetorical situation? Do the assumptions of the Neo-Aristotelian Criticism define the opening statement as rhetoric? On which grounds does it criticize the opening statement when illustrating it as a rhetoric situation? Thesis Statement The essay to the conducted henceforth intends to present a critical overview of a literature, i.e. the opening statement of Barbara Jordan presented to the House Judiciary committee in response to the impeachment related proceedings executed against the then President Mr. Richard Nixon. With this concern, the essay would attempt to utilize the assumptions presented by Bitzer in relation to the concept of rhetoric situation. Another theory that would be taken into account is the Neo-Aristotelian Criticism which shall assist in scientifically analyzing the opening statement. Justification of the Study Based on two of the most prominent theories, i.e. Bitzer’s rhetorical situation and the Neo-Aristotelian Criticism, the essay shall provide a comprehensive account of the literature selected as the opening statement of Barbara Jordan. With this concern, the study shall elaborate on the then political scenario with the intention to learn the background, influenced by which, the opening statement was framed. Preview of the Topic During the impeachment of Richard Nixon, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan gave an opening statement in the House of Judiciary Committee in order to criticize the proceedings taken by the ministry concerning the conspiracy related with the Watergate Scandal. Barbara Jordan, through her speech, intended to criticize the impeachment articles put forward during the investigation of Watergate conspiracy which was further observed to be misinterpreted as a verbal (written) declaration agreeing with the president’s removal. Literature Review/Background Brief Summary of the Artifact The opening statement of the Barbara Jordan, which she presented to the members of House Judiciary Committee, conveying her concern, related to the impeachment articles during the investigation of Watergate Scandal owing to the alleged involvement of the then President, Mr. Richard Nixon. Considerably, when accounting her views in relation to the interpretation of the impeachment articles, Barbara Jordan elaborated on various attributes of the American constitution which in turn apparently increased the significance of the opening statement in the national political history as an artifact. In her speech, Barbara Jordan referred to the Federalist no. 65 of “The Federalist Papers” conveying that the interpretation considered by many of the members when voting for the impeachment articles illustrating the process to be concentrated on obtaining their agreement for President Nixon’s removal from the Ministry (The Pennsylvania State University, “The Federalist Papers”). In her words, “It is wrong, I suggest, it is a misreading of the Constitution for any member here to assert that for a member to vote for an article of impeachment means that that member must be convinced that the president should be removed from office”. Relevant Background The period of 1970s, in the American political, social and economic circumstances, was considered as a decade of disheartenment, distrust, resentment and antagonism. The consequences of these aspects can be further identified in terms of the Vietnam War, Watergate scandal and the Cold war. Moreover, it was during this period that the American community deciphered an increasing distrust towards the government policies and its democratic practices which further increased the volatility of the socio-political scenario in America. Subsequently, owing to the mismanagement of corporate governance practices in the national context, the then American community also had to face considerable issues in terms of economic downfall and a consequent declination of living standards. The literature and various political studies conducted during this era conveyed that majority of the Americans experienced the feelings of aggravation and confusion that the nation has ultimately lost its direction (Arnold, “Overtilled and Undertilled Fields in American Politics”). It is in this context that various political scandals cropped up during this period which also included the conspiracy of Watergate which engaged President Nixon and resulted in his resignation. It was in the context of this conspiracy that the House Judiciary Committee attempted to obtain voting for impeachment articles based on the issue. The inherent meaning of the impeachment articles were however misinterpreted by the members of the ministry as a declaration of their disagreement to President Nixon’s leadership which further motivated the speech of Barbara Jordan (Nolo, “Barbara Jordans "Statement on the Articles of Impeachment"). Significance of this Artifact Owing to its explanation on the American Jurisdiction and the Constitution which specified certain norms regarding the offenses violating public trust on the government following the investigation of Watergate scandal, the opening statement of Barbara Jordan can be considered as a politically significant artifact. The artifact can be observed to present an overview of the requirement of reshaping the political environment of America which would foster public trust on the government and make the governance system more effective and transparent. Contextually, Barbara Jordan’s speech was considered as a booming voice which was rumbled across America proclaiming the need for attaining a great vision. Method of Analysis Bitzer’s Concept of Rhetorical Situation It was probably Lloyd F. Bitzer who formally interpreted the meaning of a rhetoric situation accounting some of the common features of such situations. Noticeably, it was Bitzer (1968) that defined rhetoric as a situational aspect formally depicting it as “a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action as to bring about the significant modification of the exigence” (pp. 6). According to the description presented by Bitzer (1968), a situation can be referred as rhetoric, only when it signifies a problem persisting in the world which can be solved through human efforts. Other constituent that have been specified by Bitzer (1968) in his account on rhetoric situation, indicates that the human efforts practiced to mitigate the problems witnessed should impose a significant impact on its audiences who shall thus operate as change intermediaries. The theory further specifies that a rhetoric situation, with a resolving attitude should also convey constraints which in turn restrict the effect of suggested actions (Bitzer, “The Rhetorical Situation”). Neo-Aristotelian Criticism While Bitzer’s rhetoric situation presented a descriptive analytical framework of identifying such a phenomenon, the assumptions of Neo-Aristotelian Criticism has often been regarded as the first critiquing tool to explain a particular literature as rhetoric. According to the assumptions of this theory, deliberates that a situation can be examined as rhetoric based on five fundamental canons, i.e. invention, arrangement, style, delivery and memory. The critiquing framework is also considered as a scientific process to analyze a rhetoric situation as it illustrates a four step procedure for the purpose which includes, the selection of an artifact, analysis of the artifact, research question formulation and composition of a final essay (Rodríguez, “Neo-Aristotelian Criticism in the U. S. A.: The Chicago School: Contribution to a Basic Bibliography”). Report of Findings Application of Bitzer’s Concept for Rhetoric Situation In accordance with the concept presented by Bitzer (1968) a rhetoric situation can be identified based on three basic constituents, i.e. the problem identified, the solution provided to persuade audiences’ response and the constraints recognized. In relation to this theory, a vital problem can be identified in Barbara Jordan’s speech documented in the opening statement. The issue was concentrated on the Constitution of America to bring justice to the common people through impeachment against any official’s action of disobeying the national duty and thereby hampering public’s interest in the plight of the infamous Watergate scandal. This problem can be further identified as resolvable through human efforts which signifies that the speech satisfies the first constituent of the theory. Furthermore, in her speech, Barbara Jordan can be identified to present logical arguments which were further guided by emotional, deliberate and scientific illustrations to persuade the beliefs of her audiences and thereby control their actions referring to the jurisdiction of the country at certain intervals. This again satisfies the second constituent illustrated in the study. The third constituent which depicted that a rhetoric situation should also identify certain constituents to barricade human efforts was also identified in the opening statement. For instance, in her words, “The fact is that yesterday, the American people waited with great anxiety for eight hours, not knowing whether their president would obey an order of the Supreme Court of the United States…At this point I would like to juxtapose a few of the impeachment criteria with some of the presidents actions”. Hence, in accordance with Bitzer’s concept of rhetoric situation, the opening statement can be considered as rhetoric. Application of Neo-Aristotelian Criticism The critiquing framework presents five major attributes which can assist in a comprehensive analysis of a rhetoric situation. These five attributes are invention, arrangement, style, delivery and memory which have been analyzed as follows. Invention: The main ideas deliberated in the opening statement illustrate both artistic and inartistic proofs where the speaker (i.e. Barbara Jordan) emphasizes equally on emotional attributes and rational jargons referring to American constitution from an inductive perspective. For instance, Barbara Jordan begins with an emotional concern referring to the inclusion of black community in the American Constitution, gradually accounting on the technical acclamations of the jurisdiction in relation to Federalist, no. 65. Arrangement: The arrangement of the facts presented in the artifact can be identified as thematic where Barbara Jordan addresses various attributes of the American Constitution deciphering her focus on the impeachment executed in response to the investigation of Watergate scandal. Style: The style through which Barbara Jordan presented her arguments in the opening statement also documented a certain percentage of repetition of the considered facts where after every argument she referred to the justifications of other political heads which were directly or indirectly related with the addressed issue. Delivery: The mode of delivery in the context of opening statement can be identified as the use of voice along with non-verbal attributes of personal enthusiasm, posture and expressions which further assisted in persuading the audiences by a considerable extent. Memory: The speech of Barbara Jordan presented through the opening statement accounted various aspects taking into account the facts identified in the 1787 American political history along with those claimed in 1972. However, the chronological variety of the facts presented can be attributed as insignificant to a certain extent. Conclusion Considering the opening statement of Barbara Jordan as an artifact, it can be stated that the arguments presented by the speaker are quite significant to present a comprehensive picture of the American political scenario on during the late 1970s. It is also noteworthy in this regard that the artifact had been strongly influenced by the then prevailing socio-political scenario rendering a brief description of the American political developments which apparently makes it a significant artifact. Based on these aspects, when concerning the definition of rhetoric situation as conceptualized by Bitzer and criticized through Neo-Aristotelian framework, it can be stated that the opening statement satisfies all the constituents of such a situation. Hence, it can be affirmed as a rhetoric situation. Works Cited Arnold, R. Douglas. “Overtilled and Undertilled Fields in American Politics”. Political Science Quarterly 97. 1 (1982): 91-103. Bitzer, Lloyd F. “The Rhetorical Situation”. Pennsylvania State University Press (1968): 1-14. Humanities Texas. Barbara Jordan, 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. Jaffe, Alexander. Stance: Sociolinguistic Perspectives. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Nolo. Barbara Jordans "Statement on the Articles of Impeachment", 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. Rodríguez, Francisco Javier García. “Neo-Aristotelian Criticism in the U. S. A.: The Chicago School: Contribution to a Basic Bibliography”. Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses 6 (1993): 203-218. Print. The Pennsylvania State University, “The Federalist Papers”, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. Women in Congress. Barbara Jordan: Representative, 1973-1979, Democrat from Texas, No. Date. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. Read More