Chapter 23 Dramatism

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Chapter 23Dramatism

• Griffin, E. (2006). A first look at
• communication theory (6th ed.). Boston
  McGraw-Hill.

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Dramatism

• Burke, 1940s-60s
• Summary
• Life is drama
• Drama can be analyzed by examining
  identification, the dramatistic pentad, and the
  guilt-redemption cycle

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Dramatism

• Life is drama
• Drama is persuasive
• Three interpretive lenses to help understand the
  drama
• Identification
• Dramatistic pentad
• Guilt-redemption cycle

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Identification

• There is no persuasion without identification
• Homophily (aka consubstantiation)

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Dramatistic Pentad

• Help us determine the motivation of the speaker
• Five elements
• Act
• Scene
• Agent
• Agency
• Purpose

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Guilt-Redemption Cycle

• Humans, by nature, are full of guilt
• Alleviated the guilt is the plot of the human
  drama as a whole
• Two ways to redeem ourselves
• Self-blame (mortification)
• Blaming others (victimage)

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Activity

• Watch the following commercial.
• How did the commercial try to identify with you
  (if it did at all)?
• Use the dramatistic pentad to analyze the
  components of the commercial
• Act, scene, agent, agency, purpose

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Critique

• Highly revered in academia
• Complex and obscure
• Guilt-redemption cycle is iffy
• Pentad very useful

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