Burke's Pentad

"As rhetors describe their situations, they do so using the five basic elements of drama- act, agent, agency, scene, and purpose. These five terms constitute what Burke called the pentad, and they are used as principles or a "grammar" for describing any symbolic act fully" (Foss, 2004, p.457). Above is a commercial from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The purpose of this ad is to get people to stop smoking and prevent people from starting. It is a very powerful message that is delivered in a way that really persuades and informs the audience through the voice of Terrie.

The act is a public health announcement from the CDC. Terrie is a former smoker and also the agent in this ad. Through the narration of this ad, she tells her own personal story of smoking and the effects that it has had on her body. A fear tactic is used as the agency in this ad. Terrie tells her personal story and the audience can truly see how smoking has effected her. This instrument is effective because Terrie doesn't want others to end up how she did and neither does the CDC.

The scene of this ad takes place in a hospital bed. The background is that Terrie is a former smoker and started smoking when she was young. Decades of smoking took a toll on Terrie's body. As the audience can see, she lost her hair and has to have a plug in her trachea in order to talk. Terrie passes away when she is just 53. 53 is a young age to pass away at, but by smoking cartons of cigarettes every day your life span shortens with each puff you take.


Foss, S. (2004). Pentadic criticism. Rhetorical criticism: exploration and practice. (p.455-477).

Social Movement Theory- The Anti-Bully Movement

The anti-bullying movement was created because of the increased rates of bullying all across the globe. Many countries are now implementing anti-bullying workshops and plans of action. The anti-bullying movement gives a voice to those who normally aren't heard. Bullying has become more common and much more cruel within the past few years. With new technology emerging, bullying is happening outside of school. "Bullies have taken to digital platforms like the Internet and text messages to harm their targets. For some kids, it seems like there is no escaping these bullies" (No Bullying, 2014). Cyber bullying is on the rise and can be more extreme than regular bullying.

"Anti bullying efforts constitute a proactive response on behalf of the bullied along with their parents, teachers and the general public. The goal of anti bullying is to stop bullying before it happens by make potential bullies aware that mistreating another person is not acceptable" (No Bullying, 2014). The main principle of the anti-bullying movement is the golden rule: treat others the way you would want to be treated. It is important for bullies to understand that what they're doing is wrong and to give help to those who are being bullied. It is also important to find the underlying reason as to why someone is being a bully in the first place. There are also bully prevention groups that train teachers students, and parents how to prevent bullying from happening and also how to take appropriate action if it occurs. 

Contagion theory states that people in a crowd act emotionally and irrationally because of the crowd's influence on them."...Social influence can have catastrophic consequences for group decisions too" (Hertz, Romand-Monnier, Kyriakopoulou, & Bahrami, 2016, p. 164). A lot of times it is more than one person bullying someone. By forming a group of bullies, people feel dominant and invincible. If a kid in the hallway is getting bullied by three people, it is likely that more people might join in or act how those three bullies are acting, due to contagion theory. 

Bullying is a bigger problem now than it has ever been. Although, as a society, we are taking steps in the right direction, bullies are increasing the intensity of their game. A documentary came out in 2011 called Bully. The documentary follows a few students across the U.S. around their schools and shows the interactions that they have with bullies. I cry every time I watch that documentary. It is so heartbreaking how cruel kids are to other kids. There is even a story in the documentary about a student who committed suicide because being bullied at school every single day took such a toll on him that it was too much to handle. No child or adult should ever be bullied to the point of taking their own life. Take a stand against bullying. 

Hertz, U., Romand-Monnier, M., Kyriakopoulou, K., & Bahrami, B. (2016). Social Influence Protects Collective Decision Making From Equality Bias. Journal Of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception & Performance, 42(2), 164-172. doi:10.1037/xhp0000145

No Bullying. 2014. What is anti bullying?: the anti bullying movement. No Bullying: The Movement Against Bullying. Retrieved from https://nobullying.com/what-is-anti-bullying/