Browsing by Author "Melnyk, George"
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Item Open Access Beating a Dead Elephant: Rhetorical Appeals of the Romneys’ and Obamas’ 2012 National Convention Speeches(2016-01-08) Jette, Ashley; Smith, Tania; Melnyk, George; Clarke, Michael TavelThis thesis examines the rhetorical strategies used in the speeches of Mitt and Ann Romney, and Barack and Michelle Obama at the 2012 Republican and Democratic National Conventions. It does so in order to gain insight into the communications strategies of each of the major political parties, and project about the future directions of The Republican Party. The method of this study involves a comparative rhetorical analysis of the four speeches mentioned, and examines the rhetorical strategies used in each of these speeches. Similarities and differences were observed between the ways that each speaker appealed to Americans of lower socioeconomic status, female voters, and Christian voters. Additionally, news media and other online sources were used to contextualize each speech, and gauge audience responses to them. This study hypothesizes that in order to continue to contend with the Democratic Party, the Republican Party may need to alter its rhetoric to be more appealing to diverse groups of voters.Item Open Access Creative Resistance Tactics in the Work of English-Canadian Screenwriters(2017) McArthur, Kerry; Melnyk, George; Beard, William; Martini, Clement; Mitchell, David; Leblanc, Jean-René; Feldman, SethThis dissertation analyzes how eight successful English-Canadian screenwriters negotiate various systems of filmmaking practice, in particular the criteria for screenwriting structure, character development and closure as imposed by Hollywood normative practice, Canadian film producers and national funding organizations. The writers discuss their tactics for conciliating the interests of funders and producers while honouring their own interpretations of what they consider essential narrative elements in screenplay projects. Analysis of interview transcripts reveals that many of these writers take their inspiration from works of literature and theatre as much as from influential films; further textual analysis of films written by these same screenwriters shows that not one follows the exact dictates of classical Hollywood narrative, although all deploy various elements and permutations of the form for their own purposes. As per French sociologist Michel de Certeau’s position that society’s powerless both consciously and unconsciously adopt stealth tactics to make their way in the world, these screenwriters reveal the many ways they resist overt control of their writing, alternately by neglecting/ignoring rewriting strictures (provided through reader’s reports and/or producer’s notes), by instinctively taking up anomalous narrative structures provided by alternate genres, and/or by adopting new roles in the process via which they may better exert control over the filmmaking project. Finally, while many of the interviewees reveal a working knowledge of Canadian cinema and related national identity questions, few seem to consider it a relevant issue in their own work as screenwriters. The focus for most English-Canadian professionals instead is upon telling their own versions of contract story ideas in original ways, rather than devising a national ‘voice’ to communicate a cultural identity.Item Open Access Developing Alberta's cultural resources: policy recommendations for the Alberta motion picture industry(2003) Kassay, Krisztina; Tsenkova, Sasha; Melnyk, GeorgeItem Open Access Diaspora, Identity and the Canadian Media: The Case of the Second Polish Corps in World War Two and the Re-settlement of its Veterans in Alberta(2014-09-30) Jaworska, Aldona; Melnyk, GeorgeIn the few recent decades, the issue of identity formation has spurred major debates among scholars of various academic backgrounds and specializations, who examined the identity formation of individuals and groups. This thesis explores the process of identity formation in Polish ex-servicemen who chose to reside in Calgary after they fulfilled a two-year long farm work contract in Canada during the early post-WWII years. It examines how Canadian immigration policies and Canadian media impacted the treatment and the portrayal of the Polish ex-servicemen, and it compares their treatment with the portrayal of the returning Canadian veterans. This comparison of the two groups highlights the factors that went into the Polish veterans’ identity formation in this period. Based on a sample of newspaper articles printed in Canada and in Calgary, and interviews conducted with the Polish ex-servicemen, who chose to reside in Calgary after they fulfilled their contract of working on farms, the study examines the differences between media portrayal and self-portrayal in this group The study also examines the role of government policies as a factor in media representation of Polish veterans and how these policies influenced their place in Canadian society. The lingering results of this negative treatment and portrayal indicate the power of such factors to influence identity formation in this group right into the 21st century.Item Open Access The English Canadian historical film, 1970-2010: An enquiry into marginality(2014-05-05) Thiessen, Eric; Melnyk, GeorgeThis study examines the relationship of English Canadian historical feature films to Canadian cinema, historical subjects, and the formation of Canadian national identity. The thesis analyses key Canadian historical films from 1970 to 2010 that stand out from Canadian cinema’s typically art-house fare, and includes original interviews with Canadian film professionals and a comparison of contrasting models in Quebec and the United States. This study concludes with an argument for this subgenre’s marginality in Canada, which is rooted in the relationship of Canadians to their own history, a lack of “mythic nationalism” in Canadians’ understanding of their identity, budget limitations, a reliance on state subsidies, and a general lack of interest in Canadian cinema. English Canadian historical cinema is anti-heroic, does not accept a single meta-narrative of identity, and is distinctly multicultural in its content, which contributes to the creation of a unique identity that reflects contemporary Canadian values.Item Open Access Writing Alberta: Building on a Literary Identity(University of Calgary Press, 2017-05) Melnyk, George; Coates, DonnaAlberta writing has a long tradition. Beginning with the pictographs of Writing-on-Stone, followed by Euro-Canadian exploration texts, the post-treaty writing of the agrarian colonization period, and into the present era, Alberta writing has come to be seen as a distinct literature. In this volume Melnyk and Coates continue the project of scholarly analysis of Alberta literature that they began with Wild Words: Essays on Alberta Literature (2009). They argue that the essays in their new book confirm that Alberta's literary identity is historically contingent with a diverse, changing content, that makes its definition a work-in-progress. The essays in this volume provide contemporary perspectives on major figures in poetry and fiction, such as Robert Kroetsch, Sheila Watson, Alice Major, and Fred Stenson. Other essays bring to light relatively unknown figures such as the Serbian Canadian writer David Albahari and the pioneer clergyman Nestor Dmytrow. Writing Alberta: Building on a Literary Identity offers a detailed discussion of contemporary Indigenous writers, an overview of Alberta historiography of the past century, and the fascinating autobiographical reflections of the novelist Katherine Govier on her literary career and its Alberta influences. This Collection demonstrates that Alberta writers, especially in the contemporary period, are not afraid to uncover, re-think, and re-imagine parts of Alberta history, thereby exposing what had been lain to rest as an unfinished business needing serious re-consideration.