Media Analysis Three: Applying Burke's Pentad to a Montana Meth Project Video

      

     

     In my COMM 340 class on persuasion and advocacy, I learned about applying Burke's Pentad through reading a scholarly article, viewing an in class PowerPoint and doing an experiential classroom learning activity. By doing these three learning activities I learned how Burke's Pentad is present within several of the advertisements used within the media to persuade and to advise the public. By applying Burke's Pentad to a Montana Meth Project video advertisement I learned I can become more aware of how Burk's Pentad is intertwined into many of the advertisements I view within the media on a daily basis. The media example I chose to do my media analysis on is a commercial advertisement created by the Montana Meth Project. The advertisement is from their Meth Project’s research-based messaging campaign. The advertisement I chose to analyze is called "Friends".

      According to Foss in Pedantic Criticism, Burke's Pentad is how "rhetors describe their situations." They do so by using the five basic elements of a drama--act, agent, agency, scene, and purpose" (Foss, 2004, p. 457).  Within this thirty second commercial advertisement there are several examples that are shown. The Burk's Pentad examples shown within the Montana Meth Project  "Friends" advertisement will be categorized into five category segments called: act, agent, agency, scene, and purpose.

Act: is defined as the "description that takes place" (Class Focus: Binaries & Burke’s Pentad PowerPoint, 2015).  For example, within the "Friends" advertisement the act that is taking place is a group of three teens driving their overdosed "friend" to the hospital. However, instead of taking their friend directly into the hospital, the three teens just dump their overdosed "friend" onto the curb by the hospital. After they leave a worker from the hospital finds and takes the overdosed teen into the hospital. This is all done while the narrator of the commercial (presumably the voice of the overdosed teen) talks about being "really tight with her "friends" and that whatever happens they will look out for her". 

Agent: is defined as the "person who performs the act" (Class Focus: Binaries & Burke’s Pentad PowerPoint, 2015).  For example, within the "Friends" advertisement, the agent that is being performed is done by the three teens dropping off their overdosed "friend" onto the curb by the hospital. In addition, the overdosed teen preformed the act of overdosing on meth. Last the hospital worker is the agent as well because they take the overdosed teen into the hospital to give her medical attention.

Agency: is defined as the " means or instruments of accomplishing the act" (Class Focus: Binaries & Burke’s Pentad PowerPoint, 2015).  For example, within the "Friends" advertisement, the means or instruments of accomplishing the act are the use of the car to transport the overdosed teen as well as the meth that overdosed the teen. These are the two means or instruments of agency because the use of the car makes the transport of the overdosed teen possible to occur and the meth overdose is the reason why the teen is in the situation they are in.

Scene: is defined as " providing the background or context of the act " (Class Focus: Binaries & Burke’s Pentad PowerPoint, 2015).  For example, within the "Friends" advertisement, the background or context of the act is the narrator telling the viewing audience about her relationship with her so-called friends. This sets the background and context because the narrator creates the relationship context of the three teens and the overdosed teen as a group of "friends" just taking a car ride. Also this sets the background that all these teens must do meth together but only one of them is overdosed. This causes the three teens to do the act of driving their overdosed "friend" to the hospital.

Purpose: is defined as “an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.” (Dictionary.com, 2016). For example, within the "Friends" advertisement, the purpose is to show the viewing audience of the commercial that those individuals one considers as friends might really not be friends in the end. This is especially true for the meth overdosed teen in the commercial because she thought the three other teens were her friends. However, when she overdosed on the meth, her so called friends literally abandoned her on the curbside at the hospital for someone else at the hospital to help her. This is done to explain the main purpose: to not become involved with individuals who do meth because in the end they will choose to do the drug over having a genuine friendship. 

     In conclusion, the media utilizes Burk's Pentad by applying these several examples of the Burk's Pentad media framework into their advertisements to persuade and advise the public. By analyzing Burk's Pentad and how it connects to the persuasion and advocacy within this media advertisement, I also learned I can become more aware of how this media framework concept is used within many of the advertisements I and others view on a daily basis.


References: 

 Dictionary.com, LLC. (n.d.). Purpose Definition. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://www.dictionary.com/

Foss, K. (2004). Pentadic Criticism. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://www.csudh.edu/ccauthen/576f12/pentadic.pdf

Meth Project Foundation, Inc. (2007). FRIENDS. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from http://www.montanameth.org/
 

Stockwell, T. (2015). Class Focus: Binaries & Burke’s Pentad [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://moodle.alverno.edu/course/view.php?id=22807