Sarah Tran
Title
A Rhetorical Analysis of Social Movement Leadership and Strategies Theory in Larry Kramer’s Lifetime Acceptance Award Speech
Abstract…
In this project, I study Larry Kramer’s acceptance speech for the Lifetime Activism Award (GMHC) in 2015. Larry Kramer was known for his brazen speeches, especially during the AIDS epidemic. During this speech, Kramer continues to use his bold words and calls attention to the government’s indifference to finding a cure for AIDS. The methods that Kramer uses throughout his activist career and in this speech constitute him as a militant leader according to Simons’ social movement leadership and strategies theory. Simons’ (1970) social movement leadership and strategies theory recognizes three types of leaders: moderate, militant, and intermediate. By using Simons’ social movement leadership and strategies theory, I rhetorically analyze how Larry Kramer utilizes militant strategies within his speech.
Sarah Tran can be emailed at sat5751@psu.edu
View Poster:
- Electronic Poster here
- Larry Kramer Poster