October Blog – Rhetoric as
Symbolic Action
“Thus, alternative metaphors such as ‘quilt’ or ‘mosaic’
may make more sense than ‘melting pot’ to represent the shared US identity” (Palczewski,
Ice, Fritch, 9)
We have all heard the term ‘melting pot’ when describing
the United States of America. It has been used for many years to help describe the
diversity that is the US. However, when we think about what a melting pot is
and the purpose behind it we see that this may not be a great way to describe the
American culture. For those who do not know a melting pot is used to melt down
(usually different materials) in to one thing that can then be formed and
shaped into something new. We are not all the same nor do we have the same set
of cultural norms. There is diversity everywhere and can be seen if you travel to
different regions of this vast country.
By
repeatedly call the US a melting pot we began to take on the mindset that
others need to conform to our standards. Even if this goes against what America stands
for. Palczewski, Ice and Fritch talked about this. There is a site that breaks
down Kenneth Burke’s take on rhetoric and refers to a book called Language as a
Symbolic Action. It states that symbolic action- talking about something correlates
to practical action- the act of doing an action.
We
need to find new terms that are more friendly to address the people residing in
the US. It also needs to express the acceptance of all.
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