This thesis aimed to establish whether a cline of cautiousness could be noted in the rhetoric of presidential candidates Donald J. Trump and H. Ross Perot. Purr words, snarl words and metaphors...Show moreThis thesis aimed to establish whether a cline of cautiousness could be noted in the rhetoric of presidential candidates Donald J. Trump and H. Ross Perot. Purr words, snarl words and metaphors were analyzed and categorized according to the American cultural values of equality, confrontation and orientation to action. Furthermore, constitutional keywords were divided into four different categories, namely that of 'The Presidency and Leadership', 'The System of Government', 'The United States Economy' and 'The Constitutional Tradition'. Ultimately, it was found that a cline of cautiousness could indeed be noted in the rhetoric of Trump and Perot, meaning that over the course of the elections, both presidential candidates lessened their emphasis on likeability and overall similarity to the electorate while they increased their emphasis on reliability and statesmanship instead.Show less
