The State of the Union Address and Ritual Communication

Ritual and rite surround many acts undertaken by the United States government and its agents; however the meanings of some of these rituals and rites often go unexplored and are therefore left uninterpreted. An examination of the State of the Union Address, given by the president to Congress each January, presents us with several examples of ritual communication within the government.

Ritual communication is primarily composed of key actions or symbols that communicate, often with out words, ideas, motivations, and moods, to a given audience. Often times people respond to this type of communication with out realizing that they are responding to a communication at all, such as a class falling silent when an instructor enters the room. In the State of the Union, this is no different.

Motivations play a key role in the ritual communication in the State of the Union address. The primary motivation conveyed in the State of the Union address is unification. This motivation to be more unified is communicated thru the putting aside of differences and the coming together of the houses of Congress as one body, for a single purpose, to receive this address from the president. Not only is the evidence of this motivation clear in the unification of Congress during the address, but a sense of unity is also apparent in the acts of millions of other Americans as they tune-in to the address on various media outlets. The address motivates us as citizens to come together, if only for a while.

Feelings of respect, power, and honor are communicated as the president is escorted, flanked on all sides by a contingent of Congressmen, into the House chamber to a rousing round of applause by the members in attendance. Surrounded by several key figures (they vary from year to year); a feeling of protection is received, as we are reminded that there is always someone watching over us, looking out for us. The ovation that is received at this time shows our collective respect for the presidency and threw the presidency, the United States itself. His encirclement by these other participants make us feel as though we must respect and protect the honor and power of the presidency and the Nation. However, this type of entrance also clearly distinguishes the president as set apart from the rest of the people of the country, and thru this feeling, sends out a mood of monarchicical superiority, that would be more at home in an address of the British Crown to Parliament.