Sunday, October 23, 2016

October Blog – Rhetoric as Symbolic Action

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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