The pentad and the EIS: Using Burke's pentad to analyze environmental impact statements issued by the U.S. military

Abstract

Environmental impact statements (EISs) are developed to support government decisions that have significant impacts on the environment. The EIS is a rhetorical document, in part, because the rhetor chooses information necessary to support a proposed course of action. Using Burke's pentad, I demonstrate that the purpose-act ratio is the dominant scenario in EIS documents issued by the U.S. military to justify proposals for training. I show that one EIS document was specifically structured around this purpose-act scenario to support a proposal for military training. I conclude by suggesting that the EIS process may be representative of instrumental writing, global issues may result in policies that impact local environments, and the EIS process may actually preclude social action and document persuasiveness.