Irony in Charleston: Barack Obama’s Eulogy for Clementa C. Pinckney, June 26, 2015

摘要

This article argues that Barack Obama deployed irony in conjunction with the AfricanAmerican rhetorical practice of signifyin(g) to eulogize Clementa Pinckney while addressingthe June 2015 racially motivated killings of nine African Americans in Charleston, SouthCarolina. The engagement of irony and signifyin(g) constitutes a symbiotic theoreticalexchange in which each frame functions independently but also operates in tandem tohelp Obama transform the tragedy into an opportunity for progress. In three successivestages, Obama exploits the interplay between these theoretical frames to create a new outlookon the shooting, expose structural forms of racism reinforced by whiteness, and chart a pathforward for the nation’s journey to equality.