Public & Political Policy through the lens of Enoch's, "Becoming Symbol-Wise"

Jessica Enoch examines Kenneth Burke's pedagogical theory as well as the subgroups he proposed as a means for educational institutions to 'cancel off' destructive ambitions by teaching students what it means to be 'symbol-wise.' Enoch expresses the vital need for students to adopt, "a reflective attitude that curbed those competitive 'tendencies' that could cause 'the kind of war now always threatening'. Professor Robert Bullard exposes a unique side to the government's reaction towards disaster areas and the lack of support and aid African American neighborhoods received after such disasters. He expresses several facets of the issues African American communities endure, he states that African Americans receive, " less help than whites when it comes to this whole idea of loans, grants, something as simple as ice and something as simple as shelter."

In the context of Enoch's concept of transcending an analysis to critically reflect upon it's purpose and meaning, Bullard presents his argument in such a way that promotes critical reflection among his audience to accept the 'hidden' and 'unexposed' truth of the aid which was not given to most of the African American communities. In other words, Bullard offers a nuanced approach to the effectiveness of organizations such as the Red Cross and the government's aid. Enoch shares her understanding of Burke's articulation of his theory of critical reflection and expresses his practice, "not only adds a rhetorical nuance to the idea of praxis but that also transform the relationship between action and reflection itself." Bullard's persuading approach forces his audience to 'step back' and critically reflect the issues 'behind the scene' of the disaster areas in regards to the lack of assistance the government provides. Bullard's public rhetorical speech presents a third piece of the puzzle, which is the reality of the issue media conveniently ignores, therefore people who are not directly effected by the disaster's aftermath have preconceived notions of the clean up process and aid provided by the Red Cross and other similar organizations.

Lastly Burke's approach to his theory of symbol-wise practices were developed to, "bridge the gap between 'literature' and 'life' and argued that literature was 'equipment for living.'" Which is why Bullard's argument relates to Burke's overarching idea of 'closing the gap'. Although Burke's context was in regards to literature, Bullard attempted to close the gap between reality and false notions of the aid and assistance, his vehicle was a public discursive speech attempting to shed the light upon the reality of the situation.

Part Two: In regards to the historical-causal analysis, I would like to pursue the discourse which relates to the notion of a woman's struggle to balance her multiple roles, more specifically, the forces against a woman in receiving her education and then progressing onto an successful career. I believe that I will be able to locate a vast variety of resources pertaining to the history of a women's education and the adversities which they face. I will structure my research and topic to relate to a predominately female audience who are not confident in stepping out of their boundaries to increase their human and social capital due to conflicting responsibilities. I would argue that the issue is a current phenomenon, which relates to a specific population, with a rise in increasing conflicts and adversity.