A Narrative Criticism of Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty’s Public Discourse

• Main Authors: Cheng-hsin Chang, 張正忻
• Other Authors: none
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/99633550806836644369

碩士 === 世新大學 === 口語傳播學研究所 === 102 === This paper aims to analyze the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty’s (T.A.E.D.P.) public discourse, a rhetorical action that persuades the audience, from a rhetorical perspective. As the chosen case study, the T.A.E.D.P.’s discourse has been analyzed by narrative criticism based on Chinese Public Television’s programs. Research questions include the value of the abolition of death penalty and it’s persuasion. In terms of themes of narrative, the research result shows that, T.A.E.D.P. emphasizes "Human rights", " International trends ", "Alternatives" and "The current target". In these four themes of narrative , "Human rights" is the heart of T.A.E.D.P.’s public discourse. T.A.E.D.P. indicates that "Human rights" includes "Misjudgment" and "Restorative justice". Both are the most important reasons to support death penalty should be abolished. T.A.E.D.P. pays a lot of time to promote the "Human rights", because of that, T.A.E.D.P.’s public discourse dwell less on that if people may get any interests from abolition of death penalty, or from the alternatives of death penalty. That’s why T.A.E.D.P.’s discourse cannot resonate people and unpersuasive. This paper propose is that T.A.E.D.P. should reference other countries’ experience for revise the content of public discourse. For example, the Germany and Italy, are emphasize the historical of Second World War, to make people feel the horror of death penalty. And the South Korean and Russia, are laying stress on the economic interests, to make people know that stop death penalty can bring benefits more than execute inmates. So, T.A.E.D.P. ‘s current target have to change from abolish to stop execution, not to ask people receive the value of the abolition of death penalty, but make them do not oppose too strongly. In one day, that most people are used to live in an environment without death penalty, then, T.A.E.D.P. spreads abolition of death penalty would be easier.