Week 12 lectureNotes COM350 Pentadic criticism

1. Week 12 LectureNotes
COM350 Pentadic
Criticism
Chapter 11 Pentadic Criticism (Dramatism )

2. Pentadic
Criticism
Is rooted in dramatism: analysis of human motivation
Based on the work of Kenneth Burke
Seeks to answer the question, what is involved when we
say what people are doing and why they are doing it?”

3. 2Assumptions
of Dramatism
 1- Language use constitutes action, not motion
 Action: Neurological aspect of humans involving the use of
symbols
 Motion: Nonsymbolic, biological aspect
 2 – Humans develop and present messages like a play is presented

 3 conditions for action:
 Action must involve freedom of choice,
 Actions must have a purpose,
 Actions must have motion

 Artifacts function to provide an orientation to the world
 Artifacts reveal the world view or terministic screen of the rhetor
 Terministic screen: the terms we select to describe the world

4. The Pentad
A way of unlocking the motives in someone’s discourse
Composed of 5 elements of drama:
Act: what
Agent: who
Agency: Means to perform the act
Scene:When andWhere
Purpose: why

5. Analyzing the
Artifact
 Any artifact is right for pentadic analysis, both
discursive and nondiscursive
 3 steps of the Critic plus one optional step
 1- Labels the 5 terms (agent, act, scene, purpose,
and agency) in the artifact
 2- Applies the ratios of the terms to identify the
dominant term
 3 – Identifies motive from the dominant term

 Optional Step: Performs a pentadic cartography to
discover alternative perspectives on a topic or an
issue. See page 369.

6. Label the PentadicTerms
First, identify the 5 terms
from the rhetor’s
perspective according to
how the rhetor identifies
them:
Agent: the main
character (protagonist)
Act:The rhetor’s
presentation of the major
action taken by the agent.
What the rhetor is tryig to
accomplish.
Agency: the means the
rhetor says are used to
perform the act
Scene: the ground, the
location where the act
takes place
Purpose: of the act is
what the rhetor suggests
the agent intends to
accomplish by performing
the act.
Identifying the 5 pentadic
terms reveals the
perspective of the rhetor.
More than one pentadic
set may be operating in
the artifact.

7. Apply the
ratios to
discover the
dominant term
Dominant term:The
most important term
among the 5, the term
through which
everything else happens.
ID of this term lets you
name the motive for the
rhetor’s construction of
the situation.
Ratios: Pairings of two of
the key terms
Paring the 5 terms forms
20 ratios. Select two key
terms identified in the
pentad to pair.
Agent-Scene,Agent-Act,
Agent-Agency,Agent-
Purpose, etc.
Does the first term
control or influence the
nature of the second
term?

8. Apply the
ratios to
discover the
dominant term
 Example: Pair scene-act. Does the scene limit
the kinds of actions? Apply the ratios and
record the data
 Scene-act: No
 Scene-Agent: No
 Scene-Agency: No
 Scene-Purpose:Yes
 and so on for all 20 ratios.The term with the
most “yeses” is the controlling term, but 2
terms may be equally controlling
 Note:The process of applying rations to
discover the dominant term is NOT INCLUDED
in the essay of criticism you write. In the essay,
identify the 5 terms and the dominant term,
and provide support for the dominant term,
telling how it influences the other terms.

9. Identifying
Motive from
the Dominant
Term
ID the dominant term and
name the rhetors motive
based on the term. Devise a
motivational statement
derived from the dominant
term.
Burke MatchedTermsTo
Philosophical Systems
DominantTerm:
Philosophical System
Act: Realism (universal
principles are more real than
objects
Scene: Materialism (All facts
and reality are explained by
physical laws
Agent: Idealism (the spirit is
real)
Agency: Pragmatism
(concern with function and
what something is good for)
Purpose: Mysticism (unity is
emphasized over
individuality)

10. Identifying
Motive
You can ask questions about the significance of a dominant term, the nature of the
message, or how the rhetor justifies certain worldviews.
Note:The research question can mention the specific artifact observed.
Formulate the research question
The rhetor features purpose and the corresponding philosophy is mysticism.
For example, if purpose is dominant, your summary would be:

11. References
 Foss, S. (2018). Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration &
Practice. 5th Ed. LongGrove, Il:Waveland Press.