Pentadic Criticism

Pentadic Criticism Summary


Kelly Garcia-Paine & Ashley Richards

Burke in 2 minutes…

       The dramatistic pentad is a framework developed by Kenneth Burke that uses the five elements of a drama or play to understand the motives behind a symbolic communication act (Foss, 2009, p. 355). When this theory is applied to rhetorical criticism through the pentadic method, the five elements of dramatism (the pentad) are applied an artifact of interest to reveal a rhetor’s motives (Foss, 2009, p. 356). ‘Motive’ can be understood as “a mental construct, a cognition that motivates, impels, or shapes human behavior, including symbolic action.” (Benoit, 1996, p. 68).

            The way in which the rhetor selects language presents a particular view and can be a useful tool to “provide clues to our motives or why we do what we do” (Foss, 2009,  p. 356). The five dramatic elements of the dramatic pentad are: “what was done (act), when or where it was done (scene), who did it (agent), how he did it (agency), and why (purpose)” (Burke, 1945, p. XV).

Step 1: Discern the five dramatic elements of the artifact

Act	What was done
Scene	Where the at took place or the setting in which it took place
Agent	Who committed the act or action
Agency	How or by what means the action was done
Purpose	Why the action was done

The five aspects as presented by Amandalynn122 and the Pink Panther:

     

       The motive is not revealed solely through labeling corresponding aspects of a rhetorical artifact. It is the relationship between each of the five elements of the pentad that is important to understanding the rhetor’s motives. Burke uses ratios or pairings of the five elements to determine how the first element affects the understanding of the second (Foss, p. 362). To understand if the first term defines or determines the second term, Foss (2009) suggests listing the 20 ratios and noting “‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘unclear’” next to each (p. 362). The term or element that receives the most ‘yes’ responses is the dominant term.

Step 2: Determine the relationships between the five elements. 

SceneèAct Yes   No  Unclear	ActèScene Yes   No  Unclear	AgentèScene Yes   No  Unclear	AgencyèScene Yes   No  Unclear	PurposeèScene Yes   No  Unclear
SceneèAgent Yes   No  Unclear	ActèAgent Yes   No  Unclear	AgentèAct Yes   No  Unclear	AgencyèAct Yes   No  Unclear	PurposeèAct Yes   No  Unclear
SceneèAgency Yes   No  Unclear	ActèAgency Yes   No  Unclear	AgentèAgency Yes   No  Unclear	AgencyèAgent Yes   No  Unclear	PurposeèAgent Yes   No  Unclear
SceneèPurpose Yes   No  Unclear	ActèPurpose Yes   No  Unclear	AgentèPurpose Yes   No  Unclear	AgencyèPurpose Yes   No  Unclear	PurposeèAgency Yes   No  Unclear

The dominant term can be explored further to reveal the philosophical system of the rhetor (Foss, 2009, p.364).

Scene	Materialism-all facts and reality are explainable in terms of physical laws
Act	Realism-universal principals are more real than physical objects
Agent	Idealism-mind or spirit as each experiences it as fundamentally real; the universe as mind or spirit in its essence.
Agency	Pragmatism-the means necessary for attainment of a goal and is measured by the sum of the consequences.
Purpose	Mysticism-unity is prioritized over individuality; the individual is united with higher or universal purpose.

Foss (2009) cautions that the pentadic method of analysis can reveal the rhetor’s motive or worldview, but it can also reveal the worldview that was purposely constructed for a rhetorical purpose and may not be that of the rhetor. (i.e. advertisers and attorneys) (p.364).

Procedure:

1. Selelct artifact: Most any artifact will work in this
2. Analyze artifact: label terms and work through ratios to find dominant term.
3. Formulate research question: Articulate what you want to learn from this analysis
4. Write:…and write. 

Pentadic Criticism Sample

Artifact:

Made in America

By Toby Keith

My old man's that old man
Spent his life livin' off the land
Dirty hands and a clean soul

It breaks his heart seein' foreign cars
Filled with fuel that isn't ours
And wearin' cotton we didn't grow

He's got the red, white and blue flyin' high on the farm
Semper fi tattooed on his left arm
Spends a little more at the store
For a tag in the back that says U.S.A.

He won't buy nothin' that he can't fix
With WD40 and a Craftsman wrench
He ain't prejudice
He's just made in America

His loves his wife, she's that wife
That decorates on the 4th of July
But says every day's independence day

She's golden rule, teaches school
Some folks say it isn't cool but she says
The pledge of allegiance anyway

He's got the red, white and blue flyin' high on the farm
Semper fi tattooed on his left arm
Spends a little more at the store
For a tag in the back that says U.S.A.

He won't buy nothin' that he can't fix
With WD40 and a Craftsman wrench
He ain't prejudice, he's just made in America

Born in the heartland, raised up a family
On King James and Uncle Sam

He's got the red, white and blue flyin' high on the farm
Semper fi tattooed on his left arm
Spends a little more at the store
For a tag in the back that says U.S.A.

He won't buy nothin' that he can't fix
With WD40 and a Craftsman wrench
He ain't prejudice
He's just made in America

Made in America
Made in America
Made in America
Yeah, my old man's that old man
Made in America

Step 1: Discern the five dramatic elements in the artifact.

Element	Correspondence in the Artifact
Act	Being a proud American
Scene	A farm in the heartland of middle America
Agent	Toby Keith’s Father/The Father
Agency	Showing patriotism in day to day life through purchasing American made products and display of American symbols
Purpose	To reinforce the idea of American exceptionalism

Step 2: Determine the relationships between the five elements by applying ratios through asking if the first term directs or requires the second.

SceneèAct No	ActèScene Yes	AgentèScene No	AgencyèScene No	PurposeèScene No
SceneèAgent No	ActèAgent Yes	AgentèAct   Unclear	AgencyèAct Yes	PurposeèAct Yes
SceneèAgency Unclear	ActèAgency Yes	AgentèAgency Yes	AgencyèAgent No	PurposeèAgent No
SceneèPurpose No	ActèPurpose Yes	AgentèPurpose Unclear	AgencyèPurpose Yes	PurposeèAgency Yes

         Discovering the relationship of the ratios in your artifact is a critical step in the analysis process, one that is unique to pentadic criticism.  Based on which of the five elements in the pentad is found to be the dominant, a critic is better able to discern how the rhetor views their particular situation, what motivates their action, and why an artifact is presented in the way it is.  It is important to remember that each individual element (scene, act, agent, agency, purpose) corresponds to a deeper philosophical system (as previously noted), and the only way to understand the rhetor’s true motivation is through applying the ratios to your artifact.

Step 3: Use the dominant term as a lens to perform a detailed analysis of the artifact.      

         After applying and reviewing the different ratios of the five elements, we discover that act has received the most “yes” answers and thus is the dominant term in this particular artifact.  I have come to this conclusion based on the fact that the act of being a proud American directs the other four elements of the pentad based on the following:

• The act of being a proud American can help shape the scene of owning and working on a farm in the heartland of America as evident by the American flag that is proudly displayed.
• The act of being a proud American definitely helps in directing the agent of the artifact, in this case the Father, by him factoring his American pride in all of his activates and decision making.
• The act of being a proud American helps in directing the agency of showing patriotism in day to day life.
• The act of being a proud American directs the purpose, in this case reinforcing ideas of American exceptionalism, since you cannot believe you have an exceptional country if you do not have pride in it to begin with.

Through the use of the pentadic ratio we know that the rhetor’s ultimate goal is to use the artifact in order to express to the audience the importance of having pride in America.  In fact, there is a lot of rhetorical evidence used within the artifact that helps in proving this point.  In this relatively brief song, a mere 281 words, “America” and “U.S.A.”, rhetorical symbols that represent the Father’s mighty country of origin, are named a total of ten times.  Additional symbols that are traditionally associated with the United States of America such as “the red, white, and blue”, “Uncle Sam”, “the 4^th of July”, “independence day”, and “the pledge of allegiance” are also referenced in this artifact, making it virtually impossible for the audience to forget what country is being glorified. 

The rhetor chooses to use other rhetorical symbols in this artifact that also invoke patriotic feelings, although they may be viewed as slightly more covert.  The phrase “Semper fi tattooed on his left arm” is mentioned in this artifact a total of three times.  This lyric is particularly effective in providing the audience with a visual of not only the tattoo it is referencing, but also gives clues about the man who proudly bears it.  It is common knowledge that the phrase “Semper fi” is associated with the United States Marine Corps and represents the “loyalty” which Marines have for each other and the country they serve.  Therefore, we can make the conclusion that the Father is a former Marine who is proud of both his military service and country.  This pride in his country has also flowed into other aspects of the Father’s life as evident by the fact he has married a woman who also celebrates her American roots through her décor, and by the fact that he purchases goods with tags stating they are made in the U.S.A..  WD40 and Craftsman tools are also acknowledged in this song.  Both are American made brands that happen to be beloved to the average, blue collar, adult male in this country and can be commonly found in nearly every American family’s garage or tool shed.  When all of these rhetorical symbols are combined together, it paints a very clear, very vivid picture of a devout, patriotic man who celebrates the fact every day that he himself was “Made in America”.   

Additionally, through the use of the ratio application in pentadic analysis, it can be determined that in this particular situation Toby Keith, the artifact’s rhetor, constructs his worldview based on the philosophy of realism.  Foss (2009) reminds us that when the act is found to be the dominate term of the pentad “the corresponding philosophy is realism, the doctrine that universal principles are more real than objects as they are physically sensed” (p. 363).  Having a life philosophy based on realism is definitely illustrated in the words of this artifact.  Principles such as hard work, loyalty, service, and love are demonstrated by the Father character not only represent his realistic worldview, but also can be viewed as traditional American values; ones that any proud American would readily possess.     

So why does this particular artifact, a song about flag-waving, American loving, ex-Marine matter to rhetorical theory?  It matters because it is a current-day, relevant example of what our culture views as patriotic and American.  Its lists and reinforces numerous examples of who and what are commonly identified as traditional American

commodities, while perpetuating patriotic ideologies.  The artifact is a kind of blueprint to the audience of how one can become a proud American; just follow the given examples.  Even the medium though which this artifact is presented, a country music song, is telling.  It gives rhetorical theorists insight into what demographic may believe in the rhetoric presented.  This artifact illustrates that perhaps we as a nation are not as progressive in our thinking as we might wish others to believe, since the views of what American patriotism is within the confines of this artifact remain rather hegemonic.

Additional Points on Pentadic Criticism:

• Pentadic criticism is a broad critical approach and thus can be an appropriate method for nearly all types of artifacts:
• Discursive
• Non-discursive
• Artifacts varying in length
• Artifacts varying in complexity
• It is important to keep in mind the main goal of pentadic criticism is to explore human motivation found in rhetoric.
• Foss (2009) reminds us the pentadic method “seeks to answer the question, ‘What is involved, when we say what people are doing and why they are doing it?’” (p. 355).

References

Benoit, W. (1996). A note on Burke on “motive”. Rhetoric Society Quarterly. 26(2). p.68.

Burke, K. (1945). A Grammar of Motives. Oxford, England: Prentice-Hall.

Foss, S.K., (2009). Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice (4th ed.), Long Grove,

Ill., Waveland Press.

Keith, T., Pinson, B., & Reeves, G.S. (2011). Made in America [Recorded by Toby

Keith]. On Clancy’s tavern [CD]. Show Dog-Universal Music, LLC.

Writing as Technology

Technology... is a queer thing.  It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other.  ~C.P. Snow

When you hear the word “technology” what is the first thing that comes to mind?  Computers?  Smart phones?  Do you picture the latest and greatest widget that will soon be released from Apple?  Perhaps you think about the future, and the vast possibilities that lie ahead for the human species.  Cyborgs?  Flying cars? 

With the innovation of such advanced electronic and mechanical gadgets, it is easy for one to overlook the fact that many common activities and chores in our day-to-day life are in fact technologies.  From turning on a light, to heating food in the microwave, to using a pen, technology is all around us.  In his 1982 book Orality and Literacy, Fr. Walter J. Ong makes the argument that “writing is a technology” (p.81).  Given the fact that an estimated 99% of people over the age of 15 in the United States can read and write, the idea of writing as a technology is one that I had personally not given any prior thought (World Factbook, 2003).  How then does writing constitute as a form of technology; and knowing that all technology has positives and negatives associated with it, what are the drawbacks of writing?   

Chances are, when hearing the word “technology”, writing and literacy did not come screeching to the forefront of your mind.  Yet writing, like the English alphabet and numbers, is indeed a form of technology - one that is used countless times throughout the day.  Ong reminds us:

We find it difficult to consider writing to be a technology as we commonly assume printing and the computer to be.  Yet writing (and especially alphabetic writing) is a technology, calling for the use of tools and other equipment: styli or brushes or pens, carefully prepared surfaces such as paper, animal skins, strips of wood, as well as inks or paints, and much more. (1982, p. 81-82)

When compared to the definition of what constitutes technology from the International Technology Education Association in the United States (IETA), it becomes clear that Fr. Ong is right; the process of writing indeed falls into this category.  The IETA states “technology is how people modify the natural world to suit their own purposes” and further defines technology as “the diverse collection of processes and knowledge that people use to extend human abilities and to satisfy human needs and wants” (Thurlow, Lengel, & Tomic, 2010, p.25).  Unlike speech, the process of “writing is completely artificial” and thus was created by humans in order to fulfill a need and overall advance human ability (Ong, 1982, p.82).  By using tools such as pens, paper, and letters, humans have altered the natural world in order to better communicate a message.  

Writing, like all other technologies, has numerous pros and cons.  Cultural critic Neil Postman cautions that “every technology is both a burden and a blessing; not either-or, but this-and-that” (1992, p.5).  Scholars have debated the importance of writing and its significance since the days of Plato.  In fact, Plato himself has been one of the most referenced critics of writing, especially in his text Phaedrus.  In this story Socrates is discussing the invention of writing and states, “this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember themselves” (p. 91).  Many individuals were skeptical of the invention of writing and how it could negatively affect the art of speaking, the human memory, or create false wisdom.  In response to this claim, even Postman argues that “it is demonstrable that writing has had such an effect” (1992, p.5).  Even so, given the copious amounts of positives associated with this form of technology (I wouldn’t be writing this, you wouldn’t be reading this, schools would not exist, important historical events would be lost, etc.), it wouldn’t be hard to argue that “more than any other single invention, writing has transformed the human consciousness” (Ong, 1982, p.78).  Perhaps if Plato were to know that, over two thousand years after his death, people would still be studying the importance of his words all thanks to the invention of writing, his opinion would have changed.     

References

Ong, W. (1982). Orality and literacy: the technologizing of the word. London: Routledge

Publishing.

Plato. (350BC). Phaedrus.

Postman, N. (1992). Technopoly: The surrender of culture to technology. New York:

Vintage Books.

United States Central Intelligence Agency. (2003). World Fact Book Literacy Rates

[Data file]. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html

Fair and Balanced?

“The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. 

If you can fake that, you've got it made.” 

-Groucho Marx

After viewing Robert Greenwald’s 2004 documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism, I found myself to be astonished at how influential one person could be over millions of people worldwide.  Of course, the reality is that the majority of people who watch, listen, read, or view Murdoch’s media outlets are completely unaware of how his views and ideologies may be affecting them.  Personally, I have always regarded Fox News as a very conservative media outlet, but even I was amazed with some of the findings presented in Greenwald’s film.  For this very reason I chose to write my second COML 509 blog on why Fox News Channel refers to itself as “Fair and Balanced”.  Surely I would be able to find some great evidence that supports this stoic slogan.  Additionally, by putting my personal opinions about FNC aside, I would no doubt learn and grow as a graduate student and remain “fair and balanced” in my own life.

The textbook definition (or in this case Webster’s definition) of what is deemed as fair and what is deemed as balanced is as follows: fair: “marked by impartiality and honesty: free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism” (2001, p. 509) and balanced, stemming from the word balance, which means “a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equality in amount, weight, value, or importance” (2001, p. 108).  It can be assumed then, these are the characteristics in which Fox News Channel operates by, or at least strives to achieve in their presenting the news.

However, I decided instead of making educated assumptions, it was best to get the definition of what exactly Fox News means by “Fair and Balanced” straight from the proverbial horse’s mouth – by visiting the official website www.foxnews.com.  The fox logo with the “Fair and Balanced” slogan was instantly recognized in the upper left corner of the page.  Unfortunately aside from this, there is little else about this mantra, and the meaning behind it, listed on the website.  Sure the phrase “Fair and Balanced” is thrown around some articles; on the FAQ page it is stated “The Fox News Channel is looking for experienced media professionals, journalists and support staff who understand what people want from today's news: More information, presented in a fair and balanced format”, but there was no overall mission statement listed. 

I then Google searched the phrase “how is fox news fair and balanced” hoping to find some concrete evidence to support this slogan.  I was rather dismayed to find, aside from the official Fox News website, a plethora of other sites and articles that actually refute, instead of support, this claim.  There was a link to the FAIR (fairness and accuracy in reporting) article “The Most Biased Name in News: Fox News Channel's extraordinary right-wing tilt”, a link to the Wikipedia site for FNC that highlighted criticism and complaints about the network’s amounting right-wing biases, and a rather interesting article from The Christian Science Monitor.  This 2010 article asks “Can Fox News be 'fair and balanced' if News Corp. gives to Republicans?”.  It further explains that “News Corp., the parent company of Fox News, has donated $1 million each to the Republican Governors Association and the US Chamber of Commerce, both of which work to defeat Democrats” (Knickerbocker, 2010).  Such an overt and substantial monetary donation, favoring one political party over the other, hardly seems like a fair or balanced thing for a media outlet like Fox News to be doing.    

Finally, I came across a 2006 Time article titled “10 Questions: Rupert Murdoch on fairness at Fox News, the future of journalism and his own reading habits”.  Surely the founder, chairman, and CEO of Fox News would be able to shed some additional light on what it means to be “Fair and Balanced”.  Within this article Murdoch discusses that part of the reason he launched FNC was to present “an ideological viewpoint” that was underrepresented in the media since a “good bulk of the press in this country was monolithic--liberal to varying degrees” (Stengel, 2006).  This seemingly unsuspecting statement is in fact a self-admission that Fox News is indeed communicating information in a more conservative fashion in order to combat the already liberal media.  When asked if there has been anything that “Fox has done in the past 10 years that in retrospect you thought was ‘unfair and unbalanced’?” Murdoch responds with “Nothing I can think of” (Stengel, 2006).  A rather bold statement considering the surprising amount non-partisan studies and research which suggest otherwise.

Herman and Chomsky remind us that “the mass media claim to be ‘objective’ dispensers of the news.  Partly to maintain the image of objectivity, but also to protect themselves from criticisms of bias…” (1988, p.19).  Perhaps this is the real reason Fox News promotes itself as “Fair and Balanced”.  By using the slogan as a kind of smoke and mirrors diversion tactic, Fox News can preserve their image as a reputable news network, all while supporting conservative ideologies and remaining loyal to the GOP. 

References

Agnes, M., & Guralnik, D.B. (Eds.). (2001). Webster’s New World College Dictionary (4^th ed.). Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.

Herman, E. and Chomsky, N. (1988). Manufacturing consent: the political economy of the mass media. New York: Pantheon Publishing.

Knickerbocker, B. (2010) Can Fox News be 'fair and balanced' if News Corp. gives to Republicans. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved from: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/Vox-News/2010/1001/Can-Fox-News-be-fair-and-balanced-if-News-Corp.-gives-to-Republicans

Stengel, R. (2006, October 16). 10 QUESTIONS: Rupert Murdoch on fairness at Fox News, the future of journalism and his own reading habits. Time, 8. Retrieved from: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1543931-1,00.html