Response to Olivia’s Post for Week 1/26-1/30

1. Do you find the authors’ ideas to fit your ideas of metaphors in communication?
I very much agree with the authors’ ideas of metaphors in communication. Just like Olivia, I had never thought about Lakoff’s and Johnson’s statement that our communication is a metaphor. I guess it has become unnoticed that whatever we try to communicate, there will always be some sort metaphorical meaning to it. Take the idea of “Argument is War” for instance. Whenever we are trying to get a message across and want to let people know we are correct about it, we unconsciously want to “win” and have that sense of victory, hoping what we have convinced other people. I think whenever we do try to communicate effectively, it is to find some sort of inner betterment.

2. What do you think if meant this part of Burke’s definition of the human, especially as it relates to Hauser’s idea of action as an attachment “of interpretations to the raw data of existence”?
True that we “seek the logical extension of some principle” but I don’t think this equates humans as being perfectionists. For me, it is more of curiosity. We seek for explanations because our minds are set to be curious about certain things. For instance, whenever we don’t know about a certain something, any unknown- our mind serves as a blank canvas, perhaps that “raw data” that Hauser is talking about. Our minds are suddenly filled with information and just want to continue receiving more information.

3. Knowing both the expectations of his speech to rouse the American public with his rhetoric, as well as the current state of the nation, what do you think Obama outlined as his speech goal as defined by Verderber? What about his “Strategies for getting and maintaining audience interest”? Do you think his speech was a success in these two aspects?
I personally believe that President Obama’s speech was a success. Having been born and raised out of the U.S. that was the first time that I had watched a presidential inauguration. I found it very powerful and captivating. Although I am not a citizen of the U.S., he still managed to get my attention and kept me interested because he generally includes other nations as well. His choices of words are very effective too. Being English as my second language, I thought the way he tried to convey things were easy to understand and yet so powerful. The words that really struck me the most was when he said “we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” President Obama possesses a lot of what Verderber said about the essentials of informative speaking. Although sometimes informative speeches can be boring, Obama sidestepped that landmine because he has personality, charisma and held people’s trust from the get-go. His speech seemed to flow in a fluid direction thus making his speech a great a success.