Date
8-29-2025
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)
Chair
S. Allison Brake
Keywords
social drama, mediatization, persuasive hope, dynamic transformation, rhetorical strategy
Disciplines
Communication
Recommended Citation
Ivey, Chinua Joi, "The Role of Persuasive Rhetoric in the Dynamic Transformation of a Mediatized Social Drama: A Thematic Analysis of the 2023 Maui Wildfire" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7358.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7358
Abstract
On August 8, 2023, one of the deadliest wildfires in American history occurred in Maui County, Hawaii. The wildfires’ unprecedented impact on the town of Lahaina caused a tremendous loss of life, cultural artifacts, and property. Many suffered unimaginable conditions to survive the rapidly spreading flames, and thousands were displaced. While this tragedy evolved through the journalistic lens of the news media, reports showcased the dynamic phases of social drama punctuated by persuasive rhetoric. Mediatized hope appeals were leveraged to influence a change in the audience's attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors, revealing divergent goals for future expectations. How can mediatized messages of persuasive hope influence future expectations in a social drama? This rhetorical investigation equips communication researchers with an understanding of persuasive hope’s impact on the dynamic transformation of a mediatized social drama.
