For Burke, language is symbolic action designed to induce cooperation. Language is never neutral, through symbolic action, you display your attitude about the subject. The negative is unique to human language. Guilt is an outgrowth of the negative. We feel the need to symbolically rid ourselves of the guilt, so we go through a ritual of purification to gain redemption.
Language is the house of the negative.
The house of morality. This metaphor is categorized through the use of the Pentad . We can overcome this only through the use of symbols. The attempt to get others, through language, to share our world view. For Burke, motives are the final action Language is a set of terminstic screens which deflect, select, and reflect.