PEACE CORPS IN THE 21 ST CENTURY: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

30holds a space in the hearts of Americans as a fond memory of President Kennedy’slasting legacy.There seem to me three major justifications for a study of this type: first, thePeace Corps is a historical organization that has helped to change our nation’s perceptionof foreign cultures; second, recruitment strategies have significantly changed to reflectthe changing American culture and the world abroad; and finally, the result of thoserecruitment strategies is a new face of volunteers, which in turn, presents an ideal of whatAmericans are like.It is important to recognize the significance of the Peace Corps for foreignrelations as well as for the development of Americans’ perceptions of other peoples andother cultures. The Peace Corps of the 21 st century, just as the Peace Corps since itsinception, provides Americans an opportunity to experience a world outside of their own.The United States, now more than ever, needs a positive international face. Thevolunteer symbolizes cultural exchange, development, fundamental interest in others,forging peaceful relationships in countries where Americans are often times seenotherwise. The act of writing about the Peace Corps is, for me, an act of reminding us ofthe work done by volunteers to enhance foreign relationships.This study is imperative because recruitment strategies have significantly changedover the past 45 years. Conducting a rhetorical analysis of these strategies will allow usto see that the Peace Corps of today is quite different than in the past. It will also revealan image of the “other” that is reflected back upon Americans. These images help us todetermine what we believe about non-Americans. The recruitment strategies are one wayfor us to truly understand the Peace Corps’ stance on the foreign world and how