PEACE CORPS IN THE 21 ST CENTURY: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

106Motivation for VolunteeringEric Silver’s perspective on why people join the Peace Corps captures the feelingof an era. Silver’s comments were written as he met his training group in a process called“staging.” Staging is held in the United States two days before departure for service. Itis meant to brief the future volunteers on Peace Corps policies and provide initial medicalcare. Silver wrote of various motivations for joining the Peace Corps by stating, “Theyoungest, those just out of college, were seeking to prove that they are different,unconventional, and daring. Those of us just out of the early business world were seekingto find similarity . . . . Those of us who are putting off their retirement with PeaceCorps service seemed to be seeking reassurance that they were still vital, while we sostrongly envied their experience.” 180The motivations for service are varied but from thevolunteer perspective, idealism still exists.Though idealism may not be as prominent as it once was, current volunteersvolunteer, at least in part, because they want to “make a difference.” The most idealisticresponse from a volunteer about why she decided to volunteer was from Melanie, avolunteer in Madagascar. Melanie wrote, “I’m fresh out of school with a degree and nopurpose but to make a difference.” 181Melanie’s idealism, however, comes from a lack ofdirection. She is unsure of her future, so she will focus upon helping others. Jake, on theother hand, presents idealism in a negative light. For him, being idealistic is something tohide: “I like helping people. As idealistic as it sounds . . . I like it.” 182The term idealisticno longer carries a positive meaning. The 1960s idealism was something to be proud of;an attitude that meant one could change things. Today, the possibilities of change seemso outlandish that idealism is viewed as something of which to be embarrassed.