Date
6-2015
Department
Communication Studies
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Chair
Cecil V. Kramer Jr.
Keywords
Egyptian Revolution, Kenneth Burke, Motivation, Social Movement Theory
Disciplines
Communication | Social Influence and Political Communication
Recommended Citation
Cook, Blair J., "A Dramatistic Look at Motive and Egypt’s 2011 Revolution" (2015). Masters Theses. 368.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/368
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the primary motivating factors in the protestors whose demonstrations resulted in the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt’s 2011 revolution. The methodology is rooted in Kenneth Burke’s Dramatic Pentad. The elements of the pentad were observed in 29 articles from Daily News Egypt which were published between January 18 and February 18, 2011. Then the most prominent ratios were examined. Finally, the Guilt-Redemption Cycle was observed in the actions of the protesters. This methodology yielded the motivation of the protesters in Egypt’s 2011 revolution. It was discovered that the protesters had determined that Hosni Mubarak and his government was guilty for a number of national crimes. In order to purify their nation from the guilt, these people took to the streets in protest. After Mubarak and his government had resigned the people began the process of redemption by fixing the problematic portions of their constitution. In this way, Burke’s pentad revealed the motivations of the protesters who overthrew Mubarak.
