Clara Boothe Luce’s speech to the American press emphasizes the need for
accountability and responsibility to pursue the truth in journalism while critiquing their faults.
Using rhetorical choices such as allusions, emotional appeals, humor, and irony, Clara Boothe
Luce makes her criticism more soft and acceptable for her audience. By using analogies and
appeals to their honesty and pride, Luce inspires the journalistic audience to pursue the greater
truth.
Luce uses irony, allusions, and humor in her speech for the audience to accept her
criticism of journalistic integrity. Luce begins with a rock-throwing analogy that creates humor
and embraces criticism. She states that she is invited at the rostrum in front of the American
press to “throw rocks” at them.This rock-throwing analogy sets a carefree tone. She
acknowledges the difficulty of her task in a relatable way. She jokingly compares her criticism to
the journalists to “throwing rocks”; this delivery primes the audience to listen to her criticism
without being guarded. Luce uses irony to emphasize her risky stance of being a critic. The
speech states that she has been brought to “tell you what’s wrong with you--the American
press.” This is ironic because the audience has asked the speaker, Luce, to come and directly
criticize the American press, who nonetheless criticizes and analyzes news. The whole purpose
of this speech is ironic since the journalists are asking the speaker to criticize them. Finally, her
allusions to Billy Grahams and Bishop Sheens create a connection and portrays her in a humble
and credible perspective. The speech mentions that giving the audience hell is best left “to the
Billy Grahams and the Bishop Sheens.” The allusions add credibility to Luce as well as
establishing a connection with the audience because they likely respect the figures. She also
underlies that scolding an audience is better for religious figures, which portrays Luce as an
uncommon critic and in a humble light.
Moreover, Luce appeals to the audience’s honesty to increase efforts in credibility and
honesty in the journalism sector. She uses rhetorical questions to pose questions on the
journalists for reflection on their own actions for the purpose of truthful journalism. The speech
states, “For what is good journalism all about?” This question engages an active argument
rather than a passive one. It forces the journalists to reflect on their motivations as reporters of
the news and touches on their moral obligation to search for the truth. Additionally, Luce uses
repetition to demonstrate the importance of efforts in honesty. “...It is the effort to achieve…” is
repeated multiple times in the speech. The repetition for the term “effort” reminds the audience
that honest journalism requires dedication and persistence since journalism is a very noble and
demanding profession. Additionally, Luce appeals to the journalists’ struggles by understanding
how difficult their job is. She says that the pursuit of truth is “the most delicate, hazardous,
exacting, and inexact of tasks.” This statement appeals to the journalists because she
recognizes the difficulty of the job alongside the hard work that they put in. By acknowledging
these aspects, she encourages them to rise above the obstacles and recommit to the mission of
pursuing the truth.
Finally, Luce uses pathos and inspires the audience with newfound optimism. Luce
appeals to the audience’s honesty by talking about their strengths and weaknesses. She says
that there is a lot wrong with the American press, but also “much that is right with it.” This
critique balances the good side with the bad side. This helps inspire confidence in the audience
and urges them to improve their moral sense of honesty in reporting. Also, she uses a metaphor
of the moon in her speech to symbolize responsibility of being accurate storytellers. “The moon
