Question

Do you buy into Kenneth Burke's Theory of Identification (Stewart, p. 277)? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Kenneth Duva Burke was an american poet,novelist,essaylist as well as a literary theorist.He was born on 5th May,1897 and died on 19th November,1993.He mainly wrote on the rhetorical theory,philosophy and criticism.Burke explains identification as a procedure that is fundamental to communicating and to being human.

Identification is a psychological procedure where an individual understands a property,aspect or attribute of any other and gets transformed or converted partially or wholly by the model that the other provides.Burke himself has been stating that 'identification' is more important for the work rather than persuasion.Ranges of identification are social status,addressing an audience directly with an identifying statement,or devout identification with an all being.According to Burke,'You persuade a man only insofar as you can talk his language by speech,gesture,tonality,order,image,attitude,idea,identifying your ways with his'.An individual person who is striving to form himself in accordance with the communicative norms that match the cooperative ways of his society,is by the same taken concerned with the rhetoric of identification.

Identification is rhetoric is best seen by two markers as-

• Consubstantial ('acting-together' or identifying on certain terms and grounds).
• Compensatory to division ('acting-together' or identifying on certain terms and grounds).

For example:

• Student's definition: Gender is male and female.
• Teacher reaches consubstantiality to challenge their definition.
• Student's reach teacher's conclusion that instead gender is a social construct.
• The students have reached consubstantiality with the teacher.

From the above mentioned points,I want to buy into Kenneth Burge's theory of identification because it has an essential role to play in an individual's life to become an asset for a nation or country.It's importance are:

• Identification as semi-conscious:Burke suggest that we should review the impact of messages that we don't fully mean to send or don't consciously mean to notice.When there is a situation of mystery then such opportunities to identify semi-consciously might be expected.
• Identification through representation:An alternative way for identification is through the role of spokespreson or any leader.