The following write-up concentrates on method essays namely, “Literature as Equipment of Living” by Kenneth Burke and “The Ideograph: A Link Between Rhetoric and Ideology” by McGee. Kenneth Burke in his scholarly essay “Literature as Equipment of Living” gave a perspective for advancing the old concept of “sociological criticism of literature.” In the first part of this essay he examines the random proverbs in Oxford dictionary and explains how the literature or the work of art plays a therapeutic role in human lives. He claimed, proverbs are not just part of the literature, but the “medicine.” Burke argues that the proverbs are made for “foretelling”, “consolation of vengeance” and “admonition or exhortation.” He further mentions, the people find some social/natural events common, frequent and recurring. People also understand the importance these usual
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The essay critically points out the assumption of Marx’s approach i.e. ‘freewill’ (McGee 1980)
MCGee claims that ideographs exhibit real discourse that functions with the agent of political consciousness. “The diachronic structure” of an ideograph establishes the categories and various meanings or parameters associated with it. He suggests, all ideographs consider together are related one to another, and to be consonant in such a way that it produces the unity in a particular historical context. (McGee 1980)
This article is based on a perspective that assumes a knowledge and a communication are not different entities. In this article, McGee affirms that the communication cannot be retrieved, packaged and transported. This viewpoint also suggests that sender can never have full control over how the message will be received, which means receivers do possess the power to make or re-write the message.
Both of these theories represent certain similarities as well as differences:
The essay critically points out the assumption of Marx’s approach i.e. ‘freewill’ (McGee 1980)
MCGee claims that ideographs exhibit real discourse that functions with the agent of political consciousness. “The diachronic structure” of an ideograph establishes the categories and various meanings or parameters associated with it. He suggests, all ideographs consider together are related one to another, and to be consonant in such a way that it produces the unity in a particular historical context. (McGee 1980)
This article is based on a perspective that assumes a knowledge and a communication are not different entities. In this article, McGee affirms that the communication cannot be retrieved, packaged and transported. This viewpoint also suggests that sender can never have full control over how the message will be received, which means receivers do possess the power to make or re-write the message.
Both of these theories represent certain similarities as well as differences: