Dennis Millers The American Education System

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Dennis MillersThe American Education System

• A Pentadic Approach
• By Liz Houts

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The American Education System

• Delivered by Dennis Miller on Dennis Miller Live
  July 11, 1997
• Miller famous for his political/social satire
  rants books of them have been published

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Pentadic Criticism

• Derived from Burkes theory of dramatism
• Suggests there are 5 elements rhetors put into
  use in rhetoric, which make up the pentad
• Agent
• Act
• Agency
• Scene
• Purpose

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Agent

• Agent in The American Education System could be
  several populations teachers, American public
  (including parents children), or educational
  policy makers
• Teachers portrayed as bold and brave, with a
  great amount of responsibility

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More on the Agent

• Educational policy makers made to appear
  ignorant to the needs of the education system
• In many instances it appears that schools have
  softened the curriculum so that no one feels like
  theyre being left behind. And that depletion of
  expectation in the end works against the
  children. (Lines 31-32)
• American public says not taking any steps yet,
  but need to take responsibility especially asks
  parents to examine home environment

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Act

• This rant focused on problems with Americas
  public education system, and act was perhaps an
  effort to improve the American educational
  system, or at least cause the public to think
  about the issue
• Followed series of school shootings the
  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 (precursor to NCLB)
  traces back to softened curriculum mention

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Agency

• Use of humor including outrageous metaphors,
  loads of satire, deadpan humor
• General plea for improvement on the American
  public school system

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Scene

• U.S. calls it our or Americas education
  system makes reference to teen pregnancy
  violence in schools, issues Americans relate to
• Show American broadcast, so designed with U.S.
  audience in mind talks about Holyfield, Tyson,
  Richie Cunningham very American figures

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Scene Part 2

• Public schools
• If youre lucky enough that you can afford a
  private school, then much of what follows
  probably wont make much sense to you, because
  unfortunately the majority of the problems are in
  public schools, the ones called P.S., which is
  appropriate because theyre treated as an
  afterthought. (line 3)
• described many problems, including poor funding,
  lax curriculum, poor home life, and violence, all
  of which were taking place in the public school
  system

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Purpose

• Millers purpose was to make his audience laugh,
  while at the same time consider the serious issue
  being addressed problems in the American public
  school system
• Accomplishes this through use of political satire

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Residual Message

• After evaluating each of the 5 pentadic elements
  carefully, and then considering each of the 20
  possible pentadic element ratios, I have
  determined that the scene-purpose ratio is the
  most dominant in Dennis Millers The American
  Education System rant.

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Scene-Purpose Ratio

• In The American Education System, the nature of
  the scene greatly affects the nature of the
  purpose
• If scene werent public schools in America,
  purpose would not be as effective issues
  discussed are American in nature, jokes often
  revolve around American figures or common
  knowledge (ex Tyson lottery)