Kenneth Burke War Response And Contradiction Summary

Kenneth Burke’s War, Response, and Contradiction focusses on the link between art, contradictions, and society. In this article, the different interpretations of stimuli from the members of the same society reveals the contradictory nature of humans. Two main examples are the anticipated reactions to the ways war is represented and the comparison of a lamp and literature. Individuals within society will interpret war differently when exposed to human and inhuman images of war, revealing the contradictory nature of humans. Comparing a lamp to literature assists in showing contradictory nature of humans as the audience realizes that individuals within the same society have different interpretations of the same stimulus.

The difference between

a human and inhuman representation of war shows the contradictory nature of humans. A poet named Archibald MacLeish wanted a full representation of war by showing the horror of war and showing the heroism and adventure that comes along with it. The contradictory responses to these stimuli are shown when the author states that “there is some reason for believing that a response to a human picture of war will be socially more wholesome than our response to an inhuman one” (Burke 238-239). This quote proves the conflicting nature of humans because depending on the stimulus, people can easily change their viewpoints on war. Those exposed to a more human image of war may be more likely to be deterred from war whereas those exposed to an inhuman image of war may be more likely to focus on the aesthetics that makes the horror of war increase their heroism for fighting in war. This shows how humans are contradictory by nature as their interpretation of the same event can be adjusted through a change in the representation of that event.
The comparison of a fallen lamp and literature assists in explaining different interpretations of a stimulus to reveal the opposing nature of humans. The example starts out with the author telling the audience to imagine a lamp on the edge of the table that was then knocked off, likely causing damage. The author then compares this to literature by asking the audience, “does literature ever promote ways which are ‘neutral’ in themselves (as is the lamp), but which, depending on other circumstances, may either give light or burn down one’s house?” (Burke 243) This example is very effective in showing that people within the same society can have multiple interpretations of the same stimulus. The lamp in this quote is the stimulus and the individual’s response is due to how he/she interpreted the stimulus’ meaning. Many people can see the same artistic piece, but will interpret it differently. The same person can also interpret the stimulus differently, further proving the contradicting nature of humans as even humans do not necessarily have set beliefs or opinions. By comparing a fallen lamp to literature, the audience can fully grasp the idea that the way individuals react to things are due to their interpretation of the stimulus.
In the article War, Response, and Contradiction by Kenneth Burke the opposing nature of humans is shown through the different interpretations of stimuli that individuals within a society have. This article can be closely compared to the poem Listen by e.e. cummings which talks about the reality of war and how those who did not fight will not know what war was really like. This point is especially shown when the author of the poem wrote:
a god damned lot of
people don’t and never
never
will know,
they don’t want
to
no
When the audience reads the poem after reading the article, the different interpretations of war become clearer than they would be had the audience not read the article first. The audience has a full understanding of the fact that people understand stimuli differently, causing them to be able to fully realize that the interpretation of war is different for a war veteran than it is for a person who has never fought in war. One’s understanding of the article’s main argument assists in further developing the understanding of the poem and the differences in the understanding of the reality of war.