SA #4 Part One

Ida B. Wells-Barnett's "Lynch Law in America" functions as sustainable public discourse through its symbol-using. Strong discrimination and negative stereotypes toward African Americans by the white population highlighted the American society the time this article was written. She notes that the African Americans were brutally killed for unreasonably in a fashion that "A new name was given to the kilings and a new excuse was invented for so doing." (Wells- Barnett) This essay contributes significantly toward the reassessment of the American society as a whole and the Civil Rights Movement.

Her approach in doing so with this text resonates Enoch's notion of becoming symbol-wise. Enoch interprets Kenneth Burke's concept of being symbol wisdom as an understanding that human language is a "characteristic that unites all human beings," (Enoch 287) and by doing so, people become patient and flexible toward less aggressively convincing ways with a "'frame of reference common to all'." (Enoch 287) Rather than looking through the scope of differences between the whites and blacks, Wells-Barnett questions the integrity of the country of the United States as a whole, to its core foundation such a freedom and bravery. Although she does blame the white population for the killings, her reasoning carefully convinces them in a less combative manner. When she states that "Brave men do not gather by thousands to torture and murder a single individual," one of the most basic and well known American symbol of bravery "'a frame of reference common to all'" (Enoch 287) is used in the texut to say that lynching is unjust.

The concept of dramatistic attitude also seems to be applied in this essay. This terms refers to "'a critical or essayistic analysis of language, and thence of human relations generally.'" (Enoch 281) By forming a dramatistic attitude, Enoch suggests that people can become patient and tentative, and when they are in these states, people are bes at critical reflection and effective in writing. (Enoch 281) Ida closely looks at the building blocks of this country of history, foundation, and economics to say that lynching and discrimination is contradictory to what the country is prodly built on.

Therefore Wells-Barnett's speech seems consistent with symbol-using that she sees human society filled with symbols and by becoming symbol-wise, using language as a tool, she is able to be patient with her text and let it achieve its goals.

Ida B. Wells-Barnett, "Lynch Law in America," The Arena 23.1 (January 1900): 15-24

Enoch, Jessica. "Becoming Symbol-Wise: Kenneth Burke's Pedagogy of Critical Reflection." College Composition and Communication 56.2 (2004): 279-296