An Analysis Of Burke's Dramatistic Pentad

According to Burke, people act or behave in a certain way because of their motives, and he used the term Dramatism to describe the concept of describing what wills a person to act in a certain way because of these motives. In the opening introduction of A Grammar of Motives, Burke asks “What is involved when we say what people are doing and why they are doing it?” To answer this question, Burke developed his Theory of Dramatism, which establishes a pentad to analyze symbolic texts and artifacts, so that one can determine the motives of a person. Dramatism, according to Burke, is language as an action instead of a knowledge (Burke 1978). Different from traditional rhetorical theory, Dramatism examines language as symbolism. Burke later introduced …show more content…
First discussed in his 1945 book A Grammar of Motives, the pentad is used to critique social situations between two or more people to establish the motives behind their actions (Burke 1945). While classical rhetoric focuses on what to say, the dramatistic pentad focuses on the five elements which motivated one to say and act (Burke 1978). There are five elements to the pentad, the act, the scene, the agent, the agency, and the purpose. Burke believed the elements of the pentad would allow someone to understand what led someone to undertake a certain action. According to Burke, humans and human behavior differ from other animals because human behavior has an intentional element in it, specifically only humans use language and symbols to act and motivate others to act in a specific way (Rueckert 1982).
The Act.
Unintentional behavior is defined as a motion, with intentional behavior defined as an action, or the act. The act is a deliberate action that is done because of one’s motivated reasons, intentionally committed to cause a change in the situation. The act could be small, such as the change in body language when speaking or could be much more complex. The key the act is that it must be an intentional action. This question asks "what" the action is, what has happened and what is going on (Burke 1969).
The …show more content…
The individual or group who perform the act is the agent. They are the subject of the scene and are those who commit the act. By defining who the agent or agents are, one must define what roles these people play in the act. This question asks "who" was involved in the action that occurred (Burke 1969).
The Agency. Agency is the methodology and manner goals are achieved by the actor. Agency is not limited to being one act, as it may be a series of acts which combined to create one agency. This can be done through messages, speeches, or physical objects meant to convey a meaning. The agency is how the action is done or how the message was delivered. This question asks how the agents acted and by what means did they act (Burke 1969).
The Purpose. The purpose is why the agent acts, the reason and motivation behind the act. The purpose can be obvious or the action can be hidden, in the case of covert or dubious means. The goal of the agent, which caused him to act, is the purpose. This question asks why did the agents act, what did they what to happen or accomplish (Burke 1969).
The

Show More

Related Documents: An Analysis Of Burke's Dramatistic Pentad

SCOM 240 study quid Essay