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Kenyah Bedgood
Dr. Rita Kumar
Intermediate Composition
February 9, 2015
Rhetorical Analysis: Carl Becker, “Ideal Democracy”
Democracy, for the people, of the people and by the people. We live in a society where
“democracy” is well known. In his lecture, “Ideal Democracy”, published in 1941, Carl Becker explains his
view on what an Ideal Democracy is. He expresses the hardships of democracy with the intention to
inspire, motivate and educate society, as he gives his speech to the University of Virginia in 1940. He
wanted a democracy where the will of the people is respected and explains that democracy as we see, is
an action that people care freely act upon.
Before analyzing, it is important to ask the question, who is Carl Becker. Carl Lotus Becker was
born on September 7, 1873 near Waterloo, Iowa. Becker was an American historian known for his many
works. He studied at the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University, where he became engrossed
in Early American history. He began writing many pieces on his belief of the “Dual American Revolution”
(Britannica). “During the 1920s, particularly, he began challenging the then-orthodox assumption of the
superiority of a scientific methodology in historical study. He maintained that perceived “facts” are
basically mental images created by the historian’s experience and a larger, socially defined reality that
determines the process by which the historian selects his data” (Britannica). Carl Becker passed away on
April 10, 1945 but his legacy was never forgotten.
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As we see it, a democratic government is where citizens are given rights and responsibilities, the
right to vote and speak upon who should lead them. “The most obvious political fact of our time is that
democracy as thus defined has suffered an astounding decline and prestige” (Becker, para.8). His
purpose is to make an obvious frame of the nature behind democracy. From his lecture Becker explains
democracy in a way in which needs more assistance and guidance to make it a true democracy of the
people and truly about the people. Therefore the reader can see that Becker is not trying to belittle the
democratic government but simply inforce suggestions for a more suitable society.
As a rhetorical aim for this lecture, Becker is trying to inform you on what a true ideal
democracy is rather than to force you to make a decision of what is right versus what is wrong. Seeing
this, Becker explains that even with the definition of democracy being so positive and accepted, it can
often be contradicted at times with the actions of citizens. In order to survive democracy, certain
modifications need to be made. He gives examples of democracy through the American Revolution and
Ancient Greece, explaining that it did not only incorporate independence as its main objective. It was
described as a civilization which accepted democracy, but quickly became extinct. Rather the less his
definition of democracy as being a government in which citizens act care freely from time to time gives a
view of the changes that need to be implicated to better our government.
Through the conditions of prospering comprise mobility, ease of communication and industrial
prosperity and a need for economic security, Becker explains the conditions needed in order for a better
democracy. He gives an overview of the fundamentals needed for this government, for the respect of its
people. Becker captures the reader’s attention by explaining his purposes of why we need to
incorporate these modifications. He does this by focusing on two categories; ideal government versus
real government, in which comes out through his use of evaluations, diction, and definitions, which he
uses to persuade his audience.
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The difference between an ideal government and real government is brought up at the
beginning of Becker’s lecture. He states, “It would possible then to define democracy either in terms of
the ideal or in terms of the real form, to define it as a government of the people, by the people, for the
people; or to define it as government of the people, by the politicians” (Becker 148). Is Becker
suggesting that there are two sides to a democracy? Is it a choice that society has to make when it
comes to where they see themselves? Depending on societies definition on democracy, rather real or
ideal is something that Becker tries to get at, that is it a system of government up to the people. We
know that democracy falls around the people, therefore everyone has their own opinions. Becker tries
to explain democracy in a different way that the reader can relate to, through current events and
historic events.
Becker uses a great deal of different evaluations throughout his lecture as well. He says, “On the
contrary, it is a word which connotes different things to different people, a kind of conceptual Gladstone
bag which, with a little manipulation, can be made to accommodate almost any collection of social facts
we may wish to carry about in it” (Becker 148). With this it seems like Becker is explaining that not
everyone is the same and everyone has a different opinion when it comes to the true meaning of
democracy. One person can believe in democracy as being ideal and another person can believe in a real
democracy, either way it is there choice to believe in what they want. Becker also compares democracy
to past experiences that went on. “Since the Greeks first used the term, the essential test of democratic
government has always been this: the source of political authority must be and remain in the people
and not in the ruler” (Becker 149). He talks about Greece and France being examples of how democracy
has changed over time and how it’s always been about and for the people. It is also interesting how
Becker quotes past historic leaders, such a Caesar. “Caesar’s power derived from a popular mandate,
conveyed through established republican forms, but that did not make his government any less a
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dictatorship” (Becker 148). Through the comparisons of historic leaders it seems that Becker tries to
make the point that the appearance of a democracy can be different from its reality.
Another strategy that is shown throughout Becker’s lecture is the use of diction. You can see
that it is clear that Becker is trying to get his point across in addressing his definition of an ideal
democracy. He does not misconstrue of the ideas that he expresses. Throughout his lecture you can see
some of the common words that he uses. There is the use of the word democracy, government, and
ideal, all having to do with his message. Oddly enough there was not that much usage of the word “I”
given from Becker. Maybe this is because he wanted to address his opinion with as much evidence and
support as possible without making the reader think that he is one sided. You can tell because Becker is
very direct, making the lecture pretty fast pace without having much time to process the information.
Another rhetorical strategy that Becker uses is definitions. Throughout the lecture the reader
can notice the definitions that Becker provides as a footnote. “As late as the eighteenth century it was
still the common opinion that the republican form of government, although the best ideally, was
unsuited to large countries, even to a country no larger than France. This was the view of Montesquieu,
and even Rousseau” (Becker 151). One that didn’t know who Montesquieu or Rousseau was could look
at the footnote and find the definitions in which Becker has provided for the reader. Montesquieu being
the important French thinker of the Enlightenment and Rousseau being a French philosopher and
political thinker of the Enlightenment. Is it that Becker uses definitions to help the reader better
understand and educate them on many events that has happened in the past dealing with democracy
that the reader may not be aware of? Either way Becker brings in these definitions to make a point, in
which the discourse can relate it to his message in his lecture.
Lastly Becker uses a type of chronological order throughout his work. An example of this can be
found on page 151 where he first starts out talking about the Roman and Persian empires. “It is a
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striking fact that until recently democracy never flourished except in very small states, for the most part
in cities. It is true that in both the Persian and Roman empires a measure of self-government was
accorded to local communities, but only in respect to purely local affairs”(Becker 151). Becker then
quickly moves into talking about Greeks and how “in practice it proved impracticable except in limited
areas and for special occasions” (Becker 151). He then goes on to talking about France. From this the
reader can see that Becker lists events repeatedly right after one another. This helps the reader
understand what is going on from start point to end point.
Throughout his work you can see that Becker uses rhetorical strategies of evaluations, diction
and definitions to address his definition of an “Ideal democracy”. The reader can see that he uses
rhetorical strategies to persuade and educate the reader in how far society has come as a democracy
and what ways we can approve. His audience is more framed to democrats and the college students
that he is talking to. Therefore he is lecturing his view points to young adults, educating them on their
history and getting them prepared to think about this system of government. He does this by
pinpointing specific terminology and events that have occurred to give examples of ideal democracy and
what he means by the term.
“Democracy, like liberty or science or progress, is a word with which we are all so familiar that
we rarely take the trouble to ask what we mean by it” (Becker 147). Since the beginning of his speech
the reader gets the hint of the point Becker is trying to make. “It is a term, as the devotees of semantics
say, which has no referent, there is no precise or palpable thing or object which we all think of when the
word is pronounced” (Becker 148). Becker explains that citizens know the general meaning of what a
democracy is, but are citizens aware of the enforcements and true character behind the meaning of
having a democracy.
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What I learned about Becker’s, “Ideal Democracy” is to not think you may know a great deal
about a subject without considering what all goes in to it. I believe that Carl Becker was simply trying to
protect Americans by opening their eyes to his view points on our democracy today and what
improvements can be prepared. Becker does a great job keeping the audience in tune. He jumps straight
in to tell us to fight for what we deserve and to not just settle. Becker gives several examples for the
audiences, which included the university of Virginia students and staff, in which he relates with
ethos, pathos, and logos. He uses good diction and comparisons to drag the discourse community in
and give them sight of what is needed to better our democracy. He wants a better society for the
people, a society of respect for the citizens, known as an “ideal democracy”.
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Works Cited
"Carl Becker | Biography - American Historian." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica,
n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
Becker, Carl. "Ideal Democracy." lecture.
"Carl L. Becker." Carl L. Becker. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.
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