http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/authors/4068/joseph-p-zompetti Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Wed, 03 Jun 2026 01:17:04 -0400 Wed, 03 Jun 2026 01:17:04 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1617/a-theory-of-vernacular-rhetoric-reading-dantes-de-vulgari-eloquentia By Joseph P. Zompetti - The relationships between power and rhetoric have been the subject of many recent studies, most notably from the conversation concerning “critical rhetoric” (McKerrow, 1989; Murphy, 1995; Ono & Sloop, 1992; Shugart, 2003; Zompetti, 1997). Recent discussions have also occurred regarding the nature of vernacular discourse and how it affects disempowered groups (Berkowitz, 1997; Cheshire & Stein, 1997; Delgado, 1998; Hauser, 1998; 1999; McLaughlin, 1996; Ono & Sloop, 1995). Reflecting on the contemporary nexus between power and rhetoric certainly has its value, but we would... Thu, 06 Apr 2017 10:13 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1617/a-theory-of-vernacular-rhetoric-reading-dantes-de-vulgari-eloquentia http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1548/the-power-of-symbols-the-ideological-representations-of-a-french-revolution-playing-card-deck-the-revolutionnaires By Joseph P. Zompetti - In The Rape of the Lock, Pope’s mock epic about a game of cards, we read that “mighty Contests arise from trivial Things” (I:2); and since the entry of this line into the English language, the word ‘trivial’ has been inextricably linked to the playing card. Utterly ubiquitous, playing cards blend comfortably into the background of experience as a way of passing time, and because they are used as randomisers or markers in games, playing cards are most often seen as a means to an end rather than the focus of attention. It is this ostensible triviality of cards... Wed, 01 Mar 2017 04:39 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1548/the-power-of-symbols-the-ideological-representations-of-a-french-revolution-playing-card-deck-the-revolutionnaires