Tragedy, Theodicy and 9/11: Rhetorical Responses To Suffering and Their Public Significance
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-27-2009
Publication Title
Thesis Eleven
DOI
10.1177/0725513609105481
ISSN
1461-7455
Abstract
Two general sorts of responses to the suffering caused by the 9/11 attacks are distinguishable in the statements of public officials, journalists, and citizens: one manifests a tragic sensibility, another takes the form of theodicy. Each response entails a distinctive set of expectations about the nature of political agency and solidarity in a democracy. With its claim of access to a transcendental form of truth, theodicy promises a robust sense of political solidarity and agency based on a shared religious belief. Tragic modes of appeal muster their consolatory effects by appealing to intuitions or taste rather than religious belief and therefore potentially remain open to more diverse public audiences.
Recommended Citation
Pirro, Robert.
2009.
"Tragedy, Theodicy and 9/11: Rhetorical Responses To Suffering and Their Public Significance."
Thesis Eleven, 98 (1): 5-32: Sage Publications.
doi: 10.1177/0725513609105481
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/poli-sci-facpubs/196
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