Burke for the Composition Class

A teaching paradigm is based on K. Burke's dialectical methods (A Grammar of Motives, no publication information given), where he explores discourse in terms of act, agent, agency, scene, & purpose. He points out mental distinctions between identity, duality, polarity, synthesis, indifference, predominance, succession, alternation, & substitution. A set of dialectical exercises is offered to develop an argument on these grounds based on several terms: (1) etymology, (2) thesis as dialectic, (3) the complex in the simple, (4) expansion of circumference, & (5) translation. Etymology studies tradition & possible meanings of students' words. This leads to focusing on a thesis statement. Students are led to find the complex meanings behind their simple statement of thesis, which naturally draws them into expanding their way of dealing with a thesis. Finally, translation from abstract to concrete or vice-versa can be a valuable dialectic device. T. Lamb