Could Education Be Rid of Clichés?

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Teaching and Its Possibilities

Abstract

This paper concerns the relationship between education and clichés. First, I examine the cliché as a particular speech act, emphasizing its performative function and modern character. I claim that unlike the popular view of the cliché as a worn-out and ineffective phrase, it is effective in creating consent, quieting conversation and thought, and providing the speaker with a sense of elation. After establishing the traits and effects of the cliché, I suggest in the second section that education is uniquely prone to extensive use of clichés due to some of its inherent structural tensions. Finally, I present Arendt’s unmethodical critique as a possible way to confront the challenge of regulated and repetitive speech.

Author

• Oded Zipory, University of Dayton