The article “Burkean Identification: Rhetorical inquiry and literacy practices in social media” by MacDonald and Walsh discuss different ways to incorporate technological tools in college classrooms. The authors compare the modern use of social media specifically Twitter and Facebook to the “Burkean parlor.” Kenneth Burke introduced the “Parlor” metaphor to describe the efforts that help learners to advance their writing skills as well as see their writings as a part of a larger conversation. The authors describe in great detail how the “parlor room” and Facebook Wall relate, which forms the basis of social media use in university writing classrooms. The following paper argues that the authors’ rhetoric is successful because of the numerous facts utilized in the paper as well as the presentation of the main argument. To prove the success of the article’s success, the paper will critically discuss the main argument of the paper, the target audience, and its purpose. The paper will further discuss how the factors above effectively contributed to the success writers’ rhetoric.
The main argument of the text is that social media provide essential opportunities for writing educators to discover and teach rhetorical concepts, encourage collaborative writing as well as enhance learners’ critical literacy skills. The authors formulate their main argument in a simple yet non-complicated manner. As they write “As we considered the parallels between parallels between Facebook Wall and Kenneth Burke’s (1941) ‘Parlor room’ we realized…” (6). They divide the article into sections that enable readers to follow and understand. Even if social media is not formal, the authors succeed in using a formal tone and style in their article to present their argument. The article successfully transitions from explaining Burke’s parlor room to expounding the issue on the importance of social media, and how the two areas connect. This structure makes it easier for readers to connect and understand the main argument that the authors are trying to explain. The main argument would only be achieved if the structure of the paper was organized, formal, and uses language that is easy to understand for the authors’ peers. The following section discusses the target audience of the article.
MacDonald and Walsh's primary audience is the “teachers of writing” who understand the usage of social media. A majority of the author’s audience understands the usage of social media in their personal lives. Further, this group has used social media for the best part of their lives, which makes it important to understand how they can transfer the effectiveness of social media into writing classrooms. Throughout the article, the authors utilize terms related to the use of social media. These terms such as “friending or following, commenting, retweeting, re-posting” (7) cannot be understood by individuals who are not acquainted with social media. The use of hashtags throughout the article makes it easy for graduate teachers to understand and relate to the content. The authors note “hashtag is one of the many widely-used symbols that can be used to teach students about the learned behaviors and norms that result from …social media interfaces” (14). The connection between the content posted and used in social media and Burke’s parlor room enables the audience (writing teachers) understand how to incorporate such materials in social media.
The purpose of the text is to inform and explain the different ways that educators can incorporate social media into their writing classrooms. As the authors state, there is a “need for social interactions and collaborations in learning” (6). Social media can accomplish the pedagogical goals set for students personal lives, which means they can be utilized in the classroom as well. The authors use standard language that is easily understood by their peers and their target audience. Further, the authors use many quotes from the expert (Burke) to enhance their message. For example, the authors quote Burke in stating “‘Identification’ at its simplest is also a deliberate device, as when the politician seeks to identify himself with his audience” (6). Apart from quotes from Burke, the author employs quotes from alternative experts who have held the same point of view as Burke to enhance the meaning in the text. The authors mostly quote Gary Woodward who is a professor of rhetorical theory and has extensive expensive on the field discussed in the article. The quotes are further employed to explain in detail the overall message intended by the authors. The use of facts and evidence from experts such as Woodward and Burke is an indication that the authors intended to inform and explain their message.
The authors of the current article were successful in their rhetoric. The structure of the paper, the formal style, and the development of the argument contributed to the success of their rhetoric. The authors’ main argument was the inclusion of social media in university writing classrooms with their basis on Burke’s parlor room. The article intention is to inform writing teachers on the importance of incorporating social media that they utilize in their everyday lives into the classroom to help their students write and understand the writing process better. The comparison of social media and Burke’s metaphor of an unending conversation is greatly detailed in the article. The article is informative and provides vital evidence that can be utilized by writing teachers in their classroom. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that the authors successfully fulfilled their aim of informing and explaining their main argument to their target audience.
Work Cited
MacDonald, Lauren E., and Stephanie L. Walsh. "Burkean Identification: Rhetorical Inquiry and Literacy Practices In Social Media". Journal Of Interdisciplinary Studies In Education, vol 3, no. 1, 2014, pp. 5-17., Accessed 3 Nov 2018.
