Kenneth Burke Pentad Act

Introduction

Kenneth Burke, a philosopher and critic (Lyons, 1993), presented a model for analyzing written and spoken language to better understand and even predict human behavior. The model he predicted, the pentad, can be used to interpret human events, stories, and also movies. In other words, it can be used to interpret or understand human behavior and develop ideas for stories. The symbolic language we use shapes our understanding of the world. According to Kenneth Burke, "Man is the symbol-using (symbol-making, symbol-misusing) animal, inventor of the negative (or moralized by the negative), separated from his natural condition by instruments of his own making, goaded by the spirit of hierarchy (or moved by the sense of order), and rotten with perfection (Burke, 1966, P16.).” Burke’s definition contends that humans are distinguishable from other creatures, e.g. animals, by the benefit of symbols to communicate. Burke believed that symbol use was the most relevant thing that defined humans, and all human actions is instilled with symbols. Thus, Burke created the five elements that explain the motivation of symbolic action. He called it the pentad, which is a name conveniently derived from Greek word of five. The following are the five elements of the pentad:

The act refers to all human action. It is a motivated and purposeful action, which is done by a person. The action causes the drama even if the actor did not intend to create drama.

The Scene The scene refers to the situation or location of the act. It is the context surrounding the act. When or where was it done? The location of the act can also play a part in contributing to the drama because whatever happens may be inappropriate in the place it occurred.

The Agent The agent is who performed the act. It refers to the people that perform the actions. Who are the actors?

The