Jumaat, 17 Februari 2012

Week 5: Dramatism

The chosen topic for the essay shall be Dramatism. For the purposes of the blog, this entry shall only state the summary of the entry:

 Kenneth Burke defines dramatism as a concept. This concept explains about the motivation of human beings through the analysis of drama. It also analyses language and thought as modes of action rather than to convey information.(3) In simpler terms, dramatism involves communication and the communicator acts as if he or she was in a drama, hence the term. The communicator tries to reach to the audience to gain acceptence on his or her views.(2) This forms an attempt to convince the 'audience' via the actions performed by the comunicator, much like how an actual drama plays out.

The main course of dramatism only apply to people as they have the ability to perform action. An action is something done to a person on purpose in a way of their voluntary behaviour. This is different from motion, which contains neither meaning or purpose. In this sense, as explained by Littlejohn(2002) only people have actions, objects and animals have only motion.(1) Actions can be either animalistic or symbolic.(3)

These actions deal with thought. In one of Burke's books, "Grammar of Motives" (1945), basic forms of thought can be made prevalent through use of motives which are a product of rheotherical action. Motives deal with how people understand and respond to certain events(1)

A pentad is used to analyse the motives in a symbolic action. The pentad mainly concerns about the act, scene, agent, agency, purpose and later, attitude. Act describes whatever action took place. Agent describes who or what performed the action. Scene describes the location of the act. Agency describes the means employed. Purpose descibes why the act took place. Attitude describes the manner the action was performed.(1,3)

                                                                                                                             (277 words)
References:

1. Cohrs, B. (2002). Kenneth Burke's Dramatism. Accessed 15/2/2012. Website: http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~johnca/spch100/5-3-burke.htm

2. Dramatism-small group communication context. Accessed 15/2/2012. Website: http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/group/drama.html

3.Notes: Kenneth Burke on Rhetoric, pt. 2. Accessed 17/2/2012. Website: http://bradley.bradley.edu/~ell/burke2.html



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