Political Assassinations as Rhetorical Devices: Events and Interpretations

Political assassinations constitute a specific form of violence intended to take someone else's life against that person's wish. The act of killing (the ‘event’) is distinguished from the cultural interpretation given to that act (the ‘rhetorical device’). The essay examines the rhetorical device as a cultural artifact to construct and interpret the deliberate serious attempt(s) to kill a specific actor for political reasons having something to do with the political position (or role) of the victim, and with the symbolic-moral universe out of which the assassin/s act(s).This universe generates the legitimacy and justifications required for the act, which are usually presented in quasi-legal terms although the acts are typically not the result of a fair legal procedure.