DRAMATISM

STORIES ARE EQUIPMENT FOR LIVING.

—KENNETH BURKE
Burke’s theory compares life to a play and states that, as in
a theatrical piece, life requires an actor, a scene, an action,
some means for the action to take place, and a purpose.
The theory allows a rhetorical critic to analyze a speaker’s
motives by identifying and examining these elements.
Furthermore, Burke believes, guilt is the ultimate motive
for speakers, and Dramatism suggests that rhetors are most
successful when they provide their audiences with a means
for purging their guilt.
Assumptions
Humans are animals who use symbols.
Language and symbols form a critically
important system for humans.
Humans are choice makers.
The Pentad
analyzing a symbolic text like a speech or a series of
articles about a particular topic

Act; considered the act to be what is done by a person

Scene; provides the context surrounding the act
Agent; is the person or persons performing the act
Agency; refers to the means used by the agent to accomplish the act
Purpose; refers to the goal that the agent had in mind for the act
Attitude; the manner in which an actor positions himself or herself relative to others
Find your own example.