President Clinton’s Pentad

President Clinton’s Pentad

Throughout time, many theorists have studied modes of persuasion. The ancient Greeks focused on persuasive discourse in the public arena which allowed a democracy to function properly. However, more recently Kenneth Burke, a literary critic and philosopher, has also evaluated how our language influences social action. Yet unlike the ancient philosophers, Burke was interested in how not just public messages but all symbolic activity leads to persuasion of others. From this belief, Burke developed the theory of Dramatism which he defined as, "The study of human relation and motives by means of a methodical inquiry into cycles or clusters of terms and their function" (Hauser, 1998, October 30). He viewed life as a drama which contained a series of accounts with interacting parts that create meaning and persuasion (Gusfield, 1989). Burke coined many terms unique to his theory that he could apply to any situation involving persuasive communication. Therefore, Burke’s theory of Dramatism can be clearly illustrated by identifying his key terms and applying these to an instance of persuasive communication; however, this theory does not easily apply to other forms of communication.

To begin, it is important to understand Burke’s main themes and the terms involved in each. Burke has three main themes in his theory: the necessary elements for a foundation which leads to persuasion, the tools needed to evaluate a persuasive situation, and the involvement of guilt in the outcome of the persuasive situation. A sequence of these three themes appear within persuasive communication.

First, Burke focused his work on the use of persuasion in the social realm. Furthermore, in accordance with what was stated befor...

... middle of paper ...

...his theory provides a clear understanding of rhetoric and its effects, but does not apply to all communication scenarios. Therefore, Burke’s theory of Dramatism is strong within a limited scope, but weak as an overarching theory of all communication.

Works Cited

Craig, R. (1998, November 9). Lecture in Boulder at the University of Colorado.

Desilet, G. (1972). Kenneth Burke’s Dramatism in Perspective. Santa Barbara.

Griffin, E. (1997). A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Gusfield, J. (1989). On Symbols and Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Hauser, G. (1986). Introduction to Rhetorical Theory. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press, Inc.

Hauser, G. (1998, November 2). Lecture in Boulder at the University of Colorado.

Hauser, G. (1998, October 30). Lecture in Boulder at the University of Colorado.