the actions of Kenneth Duva Burke, an American critical scholar in literal theory
Scholars have been the backbone of educating and raising concerns on issues that are hard to talk about. Critical scholars have been judging their subjects and try to rely on certain levels to weigh the subjects. They mainly come up with theories to establish themselves with accountable work and knowledge. Critical scholars have to explore their research and findings; they have to adopt essential methodologies that are integral to their study. The final part is that a crucial scholar has to submit his work to a panel of judgment of peers. They have to answer various questions such as the subject he has published on and who has managed to review their work. The main aim of a critical scholar to offer their work for judgment is to ensure it is written to the needed standards and to make it authentic and be highly regarded. Critical scholars being of diverse study have different panels to submit their work to, historical scholars offer their work to a group of historians as scientific scholars provide their work to a panel of scientist for judgment. A judgment panel is composed of highly qualified critical scholars who are well reputable and highly respected in their specific fields. This work is to analyze the actions of Kenneth Duva Burke, an American critical scholar in literal theory.
Burke came into the limelight in the 20th century through his works on philosophy, aesthetics, criticism, and rhetorical theory (Rueckert, 3). He was well recognized when he walked out of the regular norms of rhetoric tradition and addressed literature as a symbolic action. He has received praise throughout his career, such as from The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary and Criticism. That challenges the theoretic sophisticated American-born literary critics of the twentieth century. Despite Burke ever receiving a university diploma, he was never deterred but had his passion fixated in literature and writing. He was identified as an autodidact and a self-taught scholar. While he was working as an editor of modernist literary magazine, he attained a Dial award in 1928 for his distinguished service to American literature (Rueckert, 4). His ideas and thoughts were on the works of Karl Max, Sigmund Fred, and Friedrich Nietzsche. He has worked with various critical scholars the likes of William Carlos Williams and Marianne Moore and highly acknowledged by latter critical scholars such as Harold Bloom, one of his students back at Chicago University (Rueckert, 3). He remains one of the essential critics in the United States of America to recognize and articulate the essence of Mann Thomas and Andre Gide. He was the producer of the initial translation of Death in Venice. This work of Death in Venice appeared in the Dial in the year 1924 (Rueckert, 6).
Burkes political engagement is evident. Over and aboard his influences, Burke has had a history of considering Aristotle’s education in his process of developing his theoretical approach to rhetoric. He oriented his work of writing about language primarily to its social context. Additionally, he observed and researched the fact that communication was involving more than just basic grammatical structures and discourses of logic. According to Burke2, he recognized that the social context of language would not be able to be deducted to principles of pure reason (43). He draws a line between spiritual and a more complex view of the ideology of rhetoric. Platonic rhetoric is defined by persuasion, while the contemporary rhetoric is more concerned with identification. When burkes refer to license in his view of social context, he is describing the procedure by which the speaker gets to associate themselves with specific groups example, the target audience.
However, this response that is related to a specific audience is reliant on the ethical considerations of pathos and logos to create a longer-lasting impression on the particular audience. However, this ideology differs from ethos in the conception that Burke has for artistic communication, which he believes is best described by eloquence. Burkes2 interpretation of rhetoric is the utilization of words by individuals to create attitudes or to induce action from these humans(56). The definition that Burke holds for rhetoric establishes pre-existing notions of how people interpret and comprehend the meaning of rhetoric. Therefore, according to him, rhetoric is the use of words to move people and encourage action from them.
One crucial work of Burke is the Terministic screen, which is a composition of a set of symbols that are kinds of screens through which the world makes sense to us. Burke1 writes that even if any outlined terminology is a representation of reality, buy its primary nature as a terminology, and it must better yet be a selection of truth (154). According to Burke1, these Terministic screens are supposed to be, in real essence, the representation of reality. He tries to explain to theorists and critics an easy way of understanding the interconnection and relationship between language and ideologies (154). He reveals that language is not merely a reflection of reality but that it helps to select as well as deflect from fact. Therefore, Burke settles on the idea that Terministic screens as a reflection of reality. It means that people see symbols as items that direct their attention to the topic that is being discussed. Such Terministic displays include pictures (154). In a situation when there is one photo, but it has different filters, it will direct the attention of its viewers differently. Today, media has altered Terministic screens because their filters can make us see situations in different ways through the image in question is the same.
Burke interpretation of Terministic screens relays the information that this image a reflection of reality. The fact that different people can look at a photo that has filters and depict various details. Virtualization of data has become a great approach to exploring the scientific and cultural phenomena through the use of graphic formats such as pictures and maps (Burke1, 77). cutesy of the increasing amount of data people interact with through the internet and social media, new ways to process and represent data have been developed. Methods of communication have been affected through the use of visual images, which unfortunately rely on the interpretation of an individual.
Living in the current world that is partially dominated by technology. Social media platforms have created the artistic ways of sharing information through pictures. It is all upon you as an individual to analyze and figure the info behind the film. Through this interest in trying to understand virtual representation drove me to Burke work on Terministic screens. His work has educated me on the importance of virtual image as a method of communication. Hence giving the broader sense of appreciating it.
In conclusion, critical scholars have contributed immensely to the education world. Their works have paved the way in trying to understand and explain literature, particularly communication. Burke contribution to the literature world has immensely helped in its growth.
Burke, Kenneth. “Terministic screens.” Proceedings of the American Catholic philosophical association. Vol. 39. 1965.
Burke, Kenneth. A rhetoric of motives. Vol. 178. Univ of California Press, 1969.
Rueckert, William Howe. Encounters with Kenneth Burke. University of Illinois Press, 1994.