Joseph Harris describes an analytical approach to rhetoric through the identification and classification of discourse communities. Applying Harris's model to the Laramie Project reveals the desire of two individual communities to be seen as positive entities, but also the actual impact of their rhetoric on outside observers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayThe Laramie Project is a play composed of a series of interviews conducted by the Tectonic Theater Project in New York. The group traveled to Laramie, Wyoming in 1998 to gather more than 200 perspectives on the murder of Matthew Shepard. Matt was a student at the University of Wyoming, located in Laramie. He was kidnapped, taken to a remote area, beaten and tied to a fence. A few days later, he died from injuries sustained during the beating. Matt was gay and his death was motivated by the attackers' hatred of the gay community. The play eloquently reveals a series of discourse communities within Laramie as they reflect on the hate crime for which their city is now known. Older women in Laramie, Wyoming, are an identifiable speech community. Two members of this community, Marge Murray and Alison Mears, sit down to converse with an interviewer. Marge and Alison are presented as members of the elderly speech community, while the interviewer is the outsider who records the speech to which the reader or audience member is exposed. This community discourse creates connections around their roots in the city and their shared experiences growing up in Wyoming. As a community, they can reflect on the past together in a relaxed and light spirit. Marge and Alison talk about every topic imaginable. They talk about personal occupations and education in the city, Laramie's economic history, and the current pitfalls the city faces due to constant societal change. These topics evoke certain tropes that temporarily disorient the interviewer. Through his questions, the audience or readers can understand expressions such as “SOL” and “all together” (Kauffman 28). These tropes and many others help to highlight the generous nature of Laramie's past and the somewhat oppressed and unequal state of Laramie in 1998. Although both women choose to speak freely about themselves and their topics discussed, they refuse to explore certain genres of films. speech. Women will not disclose personal information to strangers that directly harms their current community. At the request of the interviewer, Marge must confront the problem of Matthew Shepard. It does so in the sense of refusing more information. She is closely connected to the case and will not incriminate or discuss her current personal afflictions with the outsider, especially due to the fact that her words will be shared with more individuals through the storyline of a play. theater. She simply states, "Laramie is live and let live," while Alison explains that "she knows more than she's willing to say" (Kauffman 28). In this moment of refusal, Marge helps identify the authority of her discourse community. Authority is defined by connection to the content of the conversation. Authority is not static, but rather evolves as the topics of discourse change. Both women are authorities when talking about Laramie, history and more. However, Marge, as the mother of the officer who found Matt, is an authority on this subject and setsthe limits of conversation at this stage of the speech. Identifying and exploring these two women as members of a discursive community defined by Harris, allows the reader or audience member to properly analyze the practices of the community and their resulting perspectives. In this discourse community, the ease of tropes and common context allow individuals to freely share personal opinions and global information in a fun and informative atmosphere. These women are clearly at ease within their discourse community. Because of their ease, approach to speech, and close relationships with each other, the outsider, reader, or audience member has the opportunity to examine their livelihood. They leave a positive impression of themselves and their community. Although the women discuss the economic difficulties of the current era, the outsiders are carried away by the talk about their past experiences and their generally positive attitude towards life. It is difficult to find a negative view of this community when women so openly expose the roots of their being to a complete stranger and outsider to the community. In addition to the positivity that these women impose on the observer, a feeling of compassion is difficult to avoid when examining their speech. Both women go from light-hearted to distant and static as they express themselves outside the boundaries of their community. The role of authority allows the observer to recognize that as common ground is lost in this community, so too is the equality of speakers. Marge's direct connection to the Matthew Shepard case triggers a reaction in her speech that shapes the community's unease in broaching the subject at hand. She remains sincere, but is unable to express the source of her distress to a stranger. The observer is overcome with compassion as he or she watches or reads the vivid community discourse and turns away from the interviewer. This speech community, like any other, identifies with the best attributes and turns away from genres that manifest a negative side of the community. Another speech community can be identified in Laramie's youth, and particularly among the friends of Aaron McKinney. Aaron McKinney was one of two men who brutally beat Matthew. Aaron's friends Shannon and Jen were interviewed one evening at a local bar. Their speech community includes Shannon, Jen, Aaron, and other friends; although there is only recorded text from two members of the group. Shannon and Jen explore a wide variety of topics with the stranger in a very short period of time. Drugs, alcohol, theft, education, friendship, etc. are discussed and studied by the two friends. They spend too much time on the topic of drugs, where tropes like “tweak” and “bowl” are frequently used (Kauffman 37). Other lexical tropes include the use of curse words and derogatory slang terms for homosexuals. Both interview participants act as speakers in the discursive community, but their speech alludes to an absent source of authority. Aaron McKinney is above all the authority figure in this discursive community. Shannon and Jen freely share their habits regarding illegal substances and poor lifestyle choices. However, as the subject of Aaron McKinney gets closer, the censorship of speech becomes evident. Their friendship and relationship with Aaron is articulated with a sense of goodwill and humor toward the outsider. Once the interviewer asks them for more information about Matthew's or Aaron's views on gays, Jen steps forward to serve as Aaron's buffer...