Week 6: Contrastive/Intercultural Rhetoric
The reading/criticism of Contrastive Rhetoric reminded me of this series of images:
https://www.brainpickings.org/2009/10/29/east-vs-west-yang-liu-infographics/
The graphics are very stark in their minimalism, contrasting the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, though often based on cultural stereotypes.
Example for self-expression with Western cultures represented by blue and Eastern by red:
This discursive style seems to be precisely the argument that proponents of CR is making re: English's linearity, and yet this series of graphics is very popular all over the world and never spoken of as controversial! Is it because the author/designer Yang Liu is Chinese-German and thus bridges that gap within herself? Many people did indeed say these images helped them understand people in their lives better.
I think as humans we are always looking for patterns, for what is clear-cut vs. ambiguous, perhaps especially in terms of self-improvement. It's not necessarily a bad thing as long as we recognize complications as well.
I think maybe what was most helpful in the Intercultural Rhetoric discourse was the question asking beliefs about what good writing are. One thing I do see in writing and also popular TV shows and dramas in China is that they often end on a sentimental note, whereas sentimentality seems to be more sneered at in Western literature. Is this too simplistic? Some English translators of Shi Tiesheng, a popular Chinese writer, for example, often like him UNTIl his ending in which he says something like, "I love my mother." It would be easier to analyze actually existing literature and TV shows and use them for research in Intercultural Rhetoric rather than samples of student writing.
https://www.brainpickings.org/2009/10/29/east-vs-west-yang-liu-infographics/
The graphics are very stark in their minimalism, contrasting the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, though often based on cultural stereotypes.
Example for self-expression with Western cultures represented by blue and Eastern by red:
This discursive style seems to be precisely the argument that proponents of CR is making re: English's linearity, and yet this series of graphics is very popular all over the world and never spoken of as controversial! Is it because the author/designer Yang Liu is Chinese-German and thus bridges that gap within herself? Many people did indeed say these images helped them understand people in their lives better.
I think as humans we are always looking for patterns, for what is clear-cut vs. ambiguous, perhaps especially in terms of self-improvement. It's not necessarily a bad thing as long as we recognize complications as well.
I think maybe what was most helpful in the Intercultural Rhetoric discourse was the question asking beliefs about what good writing are. One thing I do see in writing and also popular TV shows and dramas in China is that they often end on a sentimental note, whereas sentimentality seems to be more sneered at in Western literature. Is this too simplistic? Some English translators of Shi Tiesheng, a popular Chinese writer, for example, often like him UNTIl his ending in which he says something like, "I love my mother." It would be easier to analyze actually existing literature and TV shows and use them for research in Intercultural Rhetoric rather than samples of student writing.
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