Burke on Glory, Motive & Secret Identities Explained

📖 Welcome back to another deep dive into rhetoric! I’m Dr. Bobby, “The Best Assistant Professor Who Never Was,” and in this episode, we continue exploring Kenneth Burke’s A Rhetoric of Motives.

In Order Part 3, we examine Burke’s discussion of social hierarchy, rhetorical motives, and the power of appearances through Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier. We also explore connections between these rhetorical principles and popular science fiction, including Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, RoboCop’s Prime Directives, and Superman’s secret identity.

Burke’s analysis of courtly conduct, heroism, and performance in social orders gives us insight into how rhetorical motives influence everything from historical figures to our favorite fictional  ...