Discourse Community Ethnography: Intercommunication among the VMI Rat Mass
ERH 101, Section #__11__
Date Due: 12, November 2014
Assignment Name: Discourse Community Ethnography
Help Received: none
Andrew Vaccaro
Writer’s signature for “Work for Grade”
Ann John’s definition of a discourse community reads: “a group of individuals who share
a broadly set upon set of common public goals. This community possesses its own mechanisms
of intercommunication among its members and uses one or more genres to achieve its goals”. A
most intriguing, unique, and distinct portrayal of a discourse community lies within the walls of
the Virginia Military Institute where the word “rat” carries a much different meaning than the
rodent filth found in basements. VMI contains within its institution an artificial system of
progression through hardship and achievement, collectively known as the “ratline”. Freshman
are initiated into this ratline upon matriculation, and everything that follows carries a distinct,
peculiar discourse and brotherhood unlike any other Institute of higher learning. Although there
are multiple, diverse groups of populations and sub-communities within VMI, this article intends
to focus solely on the community of rats and the interworking and intercommunication systems
within this rat-on-rat community. The community, collectively known as the “rat mass”, fits
John’s definition of a discourse community with its various components. This community lives
in an artificial environment, driving certain forms of discourse, interaction, and communication
geared towards survival. In observation of this special discourse, it can be determined that
forcing certain discourse and language traits upon a community can ultimately serve as a
powerful educational tool. A group of individuals can be pressed towards common goals through
the utilization of specific genres, language, and systems of intercommunication as devices for
crafting and molding. The rat mass community contains its own mechanisms of
intercommunication among its members, utilizes many distinct genres in communicative
furtherance of it aims, has a specific lexis or language among its members, and has a threshold of
members with a suitable degree of content and discoursal expertise.
Methodology:
This discourse community was essentially analyzed and observed, utilizing a specific
methodology; an ethnography and external observation was employed by means of personal,
one-on-one interviews. Two subjects, prime examples of a VMI “rat” were asked specific
questions geared towards understanding the specific lexis, discourse, and methods of
intercommunication in their artificial community. The two rats were selected as portraying the
median range on the hierarchy of rats: active participants in intercommunication and well known
rats who are popular subjects within the rat mass. Rats Jack Flynn and Tom Schmitt were asked a
series of questions in an interview regarding daily activities and pertinent information relevant to
the community. Topics were discussed such as: How has the ratline changed you and your
methods of communication? Take me through the everyday discourse and methods of
intercommunication among the rat mass. What are common language links, topics of discussion,
and instances special and specific tot the rat mass community? The interview conducted allows
the external eye a view into the community, as the answers of detailed questions are arbitrated
and discussed in the later components of the ethnography to further the understanding of some
aspects. The results are surprising and allow general conclusions regarding the discourse to take
root; the internal community of rats within VMI generates a special aura within the community,
guiding the rats towards common goals and ultimately uniting them into one, cohesive and
powerful force. VMI has been designing this artificial ratline for decades, and has ultimately
manufactured a cultured educational system for shaping the distinct VMI cadet. Throughout the
analysis of the community, specific quotes and examples provides by the ethnography will be
inserted to provide additional thought to the discourse and first-hand evidence and discovery of
the special community of rats.
The Rat Mass and its common goals:
The structure of VMI’s ratline ensures strict coherence, allowing a transparent and easily
noted set of common public goals. The Virginia Military Institute’s ratline is designed to mold
cadets into productive citizen soldiers; this can only be achieved through the progression of an
arduous and elaborate journey. There are many diverse communities with various discourses
throughout the Institute that will be defined. Firstly, the rat mass is trained, drilled, and beat
down through the blood and sweat of the cadre: a select group of upperclassmen chosen to
“train” the rat mass. The cadre are pivotal antagonists and policers of the rat mass; the context of
this ethnography analysis will consider cadre but ultimately focus on the rat mass interactions. In
other words, rat-on-rat interactions and the discourse community that is associated with the
communication between VMI rats will be arbitrated; the language and discourse of the rat mass
community constantly revolves around this relationship between rats and cadre, thus is essential
to understand.
The Institute is divided into companies, each named after each letter of the military
alphabet and grouped according to height. Each company has its own heritage, traditions, and
standards. Rats all possess a common, overarching goal: to “breakout”. Breaking out occurs
when the rat mass has completed the rat line, thus dissolving the ratline and all related entities.
The rats then transform into fourths and are considered as a class at the Institute. When asked
about how the ultimate goals of the ratline have been arbitrated and how communication within
the community reflects these goals, rat Flynn discussed: “Every day is a baby step towards the
pinnacle of the ratline, which is breakout. Almost all activities and hardships noted every day are
scratched off as one less event towards the goal. This echoes repeatedly among the rat mass and
influences every aspect of communication, as rats constantly groan about the hardships and bond
together into a cohesive unit”. There lies a constant struggle between the cadres and rats that
defines the ratline; the cadre seek to punish every minute discrepancy, blemish, or mistake while
the rats seek daily survival. Thus, the discourse of this community heavily emphasizes the
hardships of the ratline and the various challenges that occur each day; the language is almost
forced upon the rats, and cadre serve as powerful enforcers in the artificial discourse community,
directing the rat mass towards the desired goals.
Rat Bible: A genre of its own
To understand the ratline, one must first be erudite of the unique, special lexis that is
paired with it. The elaborate language of VMI’s ratline is distinctly distant from the realm of
speech of the outside world. The key vocabulary terms can be found within the essential book of
text: the rat bible. The rat bible is a small paperback to be carried around at all times by members
of the rat mass and contains its own unique genre. The structure of VMI’s ratline ensures strict
lucidity, allowing a clear and easily prominent set of common public goals laced within a
necessary text: the rat bible. The most basic and essential laws of the community are laid out
within this small paperback. Most conveniently, the basic discourse of the rat mass are provided
and defined. The most pivotal vocabulary of this discourse includes: bone, B.R.C., Brother Rat,
Gim, Rats, Turn Out, brass, sweat parties. Almost all rat conversations contain some of these
essential words and their meanings require understanding in order to effectively observe the
discourse. The essential lexis will simply be defined as it appears in the all-important rat bible:
bone- a demerit , B.R.C.- Breakfast Role Call formation in which rats are marched down to eat ,
Brother Rat- title used in addressing one’s classmate , Gim- a sick rat, Rats – the dumbest and
lowliest of god’s creatures , Turn Out- a loud blare booming forth from the public address
system, calling an official announcement, brass- the metal accessories which much be shined
before every formation , sweat parties- fifteen minute workouts in which rats are worked until
pools of sweat form in puddles, RDC- Rat Disciplinary Committee, the group in charge of
enforcing the ratline’s strict coherence and punishing bad rats , Old Corps – upperclassmen (not
rats). It is from these terms in which knowledge of the ratline and its respective discourse can
properly be understood and observed. The Rat Bible provides this crucial vocabulary along with
other valuable texts such as The VMI Mission, Honor Code, and the Code of the Cadet. When
asked about the importance of the rat bible for the discourse community, rat Schmitt responded:
“We are forced to carry the rat bible with us everywhere we go, and so the words within become
a first-hand language and pivotal guide to everything a rat should know and memorize as well as
key vocabulary”. There are other numerous lines of text in which rats must learn, or be dealt with
accordingly. The rat bible is a pivotal piece of text in unlocking the rat mass discourse; rats are
never seen without the paperback and it contains vast amounts of key language.
Methods of Intercommunication and Participatory Mechanisms to Provide Information
The rat mass discourse community is both unique and distinct, possessing definitive
methods of communication to allow intercommunication among members. Mass emails serve as
the primary means of communication, and daily activities cannot be effectively planned or
accounted for within the constant hourly checking of the email. Members of the rat mass live
every day in mass confusion, as activities are updated and changed daily through the VMI email
system. It is not uncommon for a rat to receive more than fifty emails in one day concerning the
various activities to be conducted throughout the week as well as important updates and
reminding regarding grades, schedules, assignments, and upcoming dates. On an additional note,
each company of rats primarily associates, integrates, and bonds with its own members. The
other primary genre of communication for the rat mass is the barracks “turn-outs”; a turnout is a
message with specific objectives heard through the speaker system throughout barracks. Turn
outs are messages usually regarding the location and uniform of specific groups throughout the
day. They follow a specific format, beginning with “attention inside and outside barracks” and
ending in the essential message. For example, the intercom might be heard stating: attention
inside and out barracks, rat need to report to Gillis Theatre at 1400 for their sexual assault brief.
Another example can be: Attention inside and outside barracks, Breakfast formation will form up
at 0700, uniform class dyke, duty jacket. When discussing informative systems, rat Flynn
explains: “The turnout system is extremely important in calming the chaos within barracks
before formations or major events. It loosens confusion and informs rats on the specific location
and details of the day’s activities”. The Turn-out system and mass emails are methods of
communication to inform the rat mass as they attempt to calm the confusion. The disorder of the
ratline almost forces rats to improve their planning and time management skills.
The mechanisms of intercommunication are just as unique and simple. The primary medium
of friendly exchange takes place in the shower room where rats are free of cadre and talk freely.
Even this task usually carries with it its own genre. The showers provide a place of free speech in
which rats share comical stories of the day, followed by some hardship they endured, followed
by some hardship/ complaint they will endure the next day. In these naked recesses of the
Institute, rats find a sanctuary for casual talk and merriment among their brother rats. There is
constant laughter and an escape from the ratline, which inevitably continues the moment the feet
step out of the shower room. In the showers, rats share “stoop poop”, which is ratline gossip and
stories, which are pivotal to the spread of information and rumors regarding current and future
ratline events. The discourse community of the ratline possesses a special feature: every day is
mass confusion. This creates a frantic verbal community, as rats are always asking each other
questions. Where do we need to be? What uniform are we wearing? Do we have cadre time? Do
we have an inspection? When does that need to be done by? A barrage of questions and
exchange makes up a large majority of intercommunication; there is constant questioning on
multiple subjects until it becomes common knowledge as the word has spread throughout the rat
mass. Rat Schmitt is very well-versed with the shower-exchanges, and being a social extrovert,
had useful words of insight on the subject. He stated, “The showers are an almost sacred place
for rats to let loose and have some fun. New rats are met every day and everybody shares
tobacco products and discovers key interesting/amusing events and facts about the day”. There
are very few actions that go unnoticed in the ratline. This “stoop poop” and rapid exchange of
information ensures the quick dispersal of updates news as well as company gossip. Certain rats
becomes well known for worthy or debauched reasons, effectively earning themselves a
reputation and status among the various threshold of members.
Threshold Level of Members and Ethnography
The effective indicator of a rat’s level of hardship can be measured by the amount of
yelling received by cadre. The greater the frequency of shouting and yelling results in a tougher
and more strenuous ratline. Each and every rat actively pursues the status of “ghost rat”: an elite
group of “perfect” rats among the rat mass that are hardly ever wailed at by the cadre, thus
possess a “ghost” status, shielded from the menacing eyes of cadre. There are categories of
discontent or approval in the eyes of cadre; these factors include uniform appearance, rat bible
knowledge, ability to drill and march, personal sweat parties, demerits, and frequency and
elevation of rules broken. The rapid exchange of information, stories, and gossip discussed
earlier allows many names to be recognized and remembered. A specific rat’s reputation among
the mass of rats is thus easily observed. Some rats are recognized for humorous deeds or actions.
Some are renowned for being the “worst rat” in the company and earn the title of “heat shield”.
A heat shield is a term reserved for the very worst of rats: the rats whom the cadre constantly
direct their attention and stream of curses towards. These rats are called heat shields because they
are so bad, that they effectively distract the cadre’s attention from the rest of the rats, generating
a small amount of thankfulness and gratitude towards the poor few. The rats interviewed
represent neither of the two categories and are generally average-rated rats in the eyes cadre, but
are social extroverts who are well-versed in the special discourse community of the rat mass.
When asked how the ratline changed his overall methods as communication and how it has
forced mental and social change, rat Schmitt suggested “that the ratline is unlike any other place
on Earth, and in order to survive you must play the game and fit the role within the atmosphere.
This means changing the way your walk, eat, and most importantly: talk. I can see why the
system has proven to work for so many years, producing leaders of the military and civilian
world”.
The Virginia Military Institute’s ratline is certainly distinct, possessing a unique
environment of rats with a discourse unlike any other. The arduous and painful experience of the
ratline provides the rat mass community a special discourse laden with mechanisms of complex
intercommunication and lexis. The community contains multiple genres and texts in
communicative furtherance of its aims. Even in a revolving world of chaos and confusion, the
methods of communication and discourse remain steady in the everyday life of a rat; the nature
and levels of discourse within the community are carefully designed and maintained within this
artificial environment, allowing the furtherance of the overarching goals established by the
Institute. VMI serves as a prominent example in portraying the powerful usage of an artificial
discourse community as a means of educational furtherance and movement towards prescribed
goals.
Works Cited
Flynn, Jack. Personal interview. 26 Oct. 2014.
Johns, Ann. “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice: Membership, Conflict, and.
Diversity” Writing About Writing. Boston. Bedford, 2011. 498-519. Print
Schmitt, Thomas. Personal interview. 25 Oct. 2014.