Pentadic Criticism: The Five Elements, Act, Agency, Agent (Essay Sample)

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Pentadic Criticism
Chosen Ad: Pepsi Commercial
In this Pepsi commercial, a Caucasian boy approaches a Chinese temple to be accepted as a follower. He knocks on the door, and it is immediately opened by an old Chinese monk. The boy faces hardships of kung fu while mastering the art in training. A time comes for being tested, and he fails the trial. Shifu, the wise old monk, shakes his head in discontent. The young boy disappointed with his performances, mourns for his loss. Eventually, he is shown to have grown up and mastered the art successfully. He is shown flying in the air kicking a wooden log and cement sheets into debris. The old man with other monks picks up a Pepsi soda and drinks to celebrate a new elevated member. However, he realizes that there is one more thing to do to become a fully time-honored member of the temple. He notices a symbol on the forehead of every monk and completes his inauguration by smashing his head onto the upright can of the soda. The advertisement ends with the monks celebrating their newest member while the Pepsi slogan “Ask for more” is displayed. This paper discusses a pentadic analysis of the Pepsi commercial to decipher its meaning in a sub-conscious and conscious level of rhetoric.
Artifact
The advertisement of the Chinese monk that is themed as the Pepsi-cola commercial was a move by the soda company to restore its image to customers. The advertisement came at a time when the government was putting measures to reduce the obesity rate in the country. Through the commercial, the Pepsi soda company uses tactics that make Americans and the world believe the product is healthy and good to consume. A soft, eastern music style plays throughout the commercial adding believability and tranquility to the setting of the commercial.
Method
I will draw on the pentadic technique to scrutinize the Pepsi-cola commercial anchored in Kenneth Burke’s dramatism theory. The theory focuses on the analysis of the inspiration of human beings through the terms derived from the drama study. Dramatism sticks to a pair of the hypothesis that verbal communication amount to action and not motion and those images are represented in a similar way to the audience. Rhetoric has the capability to illustrate the manner that situations are perceived and, therefore, provide clues of the motives behind the actions.
To create a pentadic analysis of the Pepsi commercial, I must first identify the five key components of the artifact that is derived from the “pentad” concept. It highlights the drive or motive behind the advertisement’s contents. These elements are the act, agent, agency, scene, and the purpose. The act is the ‘what’ that happens in the artifact, and the agent is the ‘who’ that is involved in the said acts. The ‘how’ the things are conveyed is the agency while the scene is the ‘where’ the acts are taking place. Lastly, the purpose is the ‘why’ the acts are occurring and what their relevance is.
I will then discover the dominating elements within the artifact that are the central thing that the whole thing happens. The terms will shed light as to the aspects that are paramount to the rhetor. The paramount ratio within the five elements will then be highlighted to reveal the general subject matter of the piece. The significance of the ratio is to reveal the paramount message that lies within the artifact and for this case, the Chinese advertisement.
Analysis
The foremost step in this analysis is to determine where the five elements, act, agency, agent, scene, and purpose lie in the artifact. The prevalence of the elements varies within the artifact depending with how powerful they are. The stronger elements will certainly be more evident and have reference to the artifact that is the advertisement. On the other hand, the other elements are eluded less frequently.
The act in the commercial advertisement is the martial arts training followed by the test to be approved. The boy is seen to immediately start the induction into the ways of the temple by being trained the art of kung fu. The setting of the Chinese temple is portrayed to have constant martial arts activities but the commercial concentrates on the training of the young Caucasian boy. The target audience of the advertisement is made to believe on the breakthrough of life when the boy eventually masters that art.
The agent element in the commercial is the most prevalent. The agent is the boy and the old master. Right from the beginning of the advert to the end, the commercial mostly revolves around the boy. The use of the old monk signifies wisdom since the old are viewed in high esteem in the Chinese culture. They are also honest and the most trusted. This character therefore, shows that the soda brand can be trusted. It’s interesting to note that the boy is not an Asian. Thus, the commercial effectively targets a broad audience. The fact that the prime character is an American relates the commercial better to the audience through the mix-up of cultures.
The agency is the martial arts training to become a monk. The boy has the intentions to become a monk and true to his ambition, he eventually becomes one. However, the elevation to be a member of the temple does not come easily to the boy. The commercial portrays a message that some things in life are worth fighting for because they are worth it. It reveals that by taking a Pepsi soda it’s worth it owing to the benefits that come after.
The scene of the artifact is at the Buddhist temple and possibly the Shaolin. The whole advertisement is centered to this particular setting. The monks have practiced the kung fu art for more than 1,500 years and are known to reside at the temple. It makes sense to have the setting there because they are involved. The culture at the temple is extraordinarily religious devout and disciplined. Pepsi displays the setting of the advertisement because the place is held with high esteem and honor in China to establish trustworthiness with the addressees.
Lastly, the purpose element of the commercial is the satisfaction that comes with the identification with the Chinese monks as well as the wuxia genre. This makes Pepsi to be seen as the icon that identifies the Chinese monks and their whole population in general. The slogan “Ask for more” sums the intentions of the commercial as to already have established its credibility and now convinces the audience that is reliable and so should they. The celebration at the end signifies satisfaction also that comes by drinking the Pepsi soda. The audie...