Prochaska 1

Emily Prochaska
Communication Research Methods
Josh Hamzehee
April 22, 2015
Individual Pentadic Analysis
Introduction: The Artifact
The Shining is a film from 1980 that still has people talking about
over three decades later. Many of the critics stated that after originally
going to the film, it really stuck with them and they were not sure why
(Room 237). Why was this the case if it was set up as a typical
suspense thriller/horror movie? Hidden in plain sight is a phrase
many of us are familiar with. The Shining takes this to the next level by
being a film completely made up of subliminal messages. These
messages in the movie have brought about many fan theories as to
what The Shining is really about. Many of these theories are discussed
in the documentary Room 237. It is unknown if director Stanley Kubrick
had any of the theories in mind when he produced the film. With this in
mind one critic states, Author intent is only part of the story of any
work of art. (Room 237) Even though, the audience is still very
important from this aspect, Kubrick is still the rhetor because he is
bringing us these subliminal messages. Without his vision, there would
not be people questioning what is really happening in this film. The
audience of this message is also questionable. It may be a suspense

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thriller, but the film has become extremely popular because people
have become aware to the fact that the major factor of the film is the
hidden messages throughout. Thats why instead of the audience being
fans of suspense thriller, I think of moviegoers that appreciate a film
that makes the viewer think critically as the target group. This may be
the reason that so many film critic are so intrigued by The Shining, it is
their job to thoroughly analyze films of all types. (Bordwell) One
subliminal message in The Shining that stuck out was the reference to
past genocides and how these events are often overlooked in todays
society. The Holocaust and genocide of the American Indians by
European Settlers were continually focused on in many of the different
events throughout the film. (Room 237) Even with both events being
reference in the film, the genocide of the American Indians is a lot
more prevalent. There are many factors that make critics believe
Kubrick is constantly referring to the suffering of the American Indians.
There are a couple of smaller references including the Calumet baking
powder with an Indian logo and the skiing poster that looks like a
minotaur which has a connection to a portrait of an Indian with a bull
headdress. (Trinh; Bordwell) The biggest example of subliminal
messages of Indian genocide is the connection made during the
elevator scenes. It is believed that the blood coming from the elevator
represents the bloods of Indians. This can take a literal meaning since
the hotel was built on Indian burial grounds and it possible that the

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elevator shaft is sinking down into the blood and bones of the Indians
underneath. It could also be the blood of all of the Indians killed by the
European settlers. A couple important facts about the elevator to keep
in mind are that the doors remain closed but the blood still comes out
and overwhelms its victims, and also this occurs on a few completely
separate occasions. This could be hinting that the settling of the United
States came from the oppression and slaughter of Indians and how
citizens in todays society ignore that these events ever happened.
This along with it reoccurring throughout the film may be pointing out
that the American people can pretend it never happened, but in the
end coming to terms with what really happened will be better for our
society. This is a major theme throughout the film as well. Even the
name of the hotel, Overlook Hotel, may be a way of pointing out how
genocides of the past are overlooked because of how horrible they
were. The film seems to be making the statement that this is a mistake
as events from the characters past keep building up and each of them
ends up breaking down because of it. That brings up the significance of
this subliminal message. Even though the events of the genocide of
American Indians and the Holocaust are horrible, it is important for
people throughout the world to keep them in mind so that tragedies
like these do not occur in the future. (Room 237) Even if some writers
argue that many of the theories in Room 237 are far-fetched, the

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interpretations of the critics have many lessons that are important to
remember (Bordwell).
Steps of the Pentad
A Pentad is made up of an act, agent, agency, purpose, and scene.
Typically these are all different things but the article From Scene to
Agent: A Burkean Analysis of the 'Living' Constitution has a different
take on the pentad for the living Constitution. The act is what took
place. The constitution is the act. It can be seen as the beginning of
the United States, and it also ensures justice and upholds certain
liberties to this day. An agent is the person or kind of person that is
performing the act. The constitution is also the agent because it acts
as a guardian to the people since it is meant to preserve the rights and
liberties of the American people. The fact that it is seen as the agent as
well the act makes it a living document. Agency is the means by
which the act was accomplished. Many would see the agency of the
constitution to be the Founding Fathers of the United States, but since
document has been changed and added onto over time we the people
of the United States are the actually source by which the Constitution
is accomplished. Purpose is the justification for the act. The purpose
is actually stated in the Constitution. It was created in order to form a
more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility,
provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. Scene is

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the background of the act. Since the Constitution is a living document,
the can be a few different views on what the scene really is. The scene
can be seen as being established in 1787, but it can also established in
the current day as well. The scene can be considered as the
government institutions that make up our nation, as well as the nation
as a whole. To simplify this: act is what, agent is who, agency is how,
purpose is why, and scene is where/when. Our notes from the lecture
and the article both agree on this fact.
Pentadic Analysis/Dominant Ratio of Artifact
Now that there has been an explanation of what the steps of a
pentad are, there can be an analysis of the genocide subliminal
messages from The Shining truly are. The two evaluations I find most
important to this would be historical and psychological. Historical asks
if it is believe that the message with endure time. Since it has been
over thirty years and The Shining and its subliminal messages are still
relevant to people today, it is clear that it does endure time. The main
reason it may still be relevant today would be the psychological aspect.
Even though some of the critics stated that they were sure why they
were so intrigued by The Shining, it was a film that captured the
attention of the people that watched it. The artifact turns out to be the
cause of both the historical and psychological significance. All of the
subliminal messages have the viewers consciously and subconsciously
engaged in the film. This provoking of the subconscious has brought

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about questions from the viewers that has keep the movie historically
relevant as well. The genocide part of the subliminal messages is one
reason that people stay interested. The Holocaust is an event from the
past century that is still in the minds of many people across the world,
and the fact that it is brought up in a film forty years after the
horrifying events is only proof of this. The genocide of the American
Indians is an event that is fairly overlooked by it is just as important to
remember as the Holocaust. Not only is it seen as important to
remember these events in the film, historians have also made it clear
that ignoring them is the opposite of what need to be done. These
events are horrible, but it is important to grow from them so genocide
is less likely to happen in the future.
A pentad for The Shining is the following. The film is the agent,
the events in the film are the act since these events create the
subliminal messages, the agency is Stanley Kubrick since he is the
director responsible for the film, the purpose is to make people aware
of all of the statements and issues brought up by these messages, and
the scene would be the hotel since it is the place in which majority of
the film occurs. From the analysis of the living Constitution document,
the scene can also be the places in which the film is viewed.
The dominant ratio is another factor to consider when analyzing
The Shining. Two of the most significant steps of the pentad for the film
and subliminal messages of genocide are the agency and act. Without

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Stanley Kubrick, the film and the ideas associated with it would have
never existed. There are other people that believe in the messages of
the film and have been verbal about them without the influence of The
Shining, but the film has brought these views to a wider audience. Also
since the film is so intriguing, it has kept that audience interesting in
the messages if offers over a long period of time. Since it seems like
the moral of the story is basically ignorance is not bliss and we should
be trying to the best of our abilities to improve the issues in society,
Kubrick is the most important aspect since he is delivering these
messages to the viewers. This is why the act is also important. If the
events of the film had not occurred in the exact way that they did, then
people would not be questioning what is really going on it the film and
it would not have reached the massive audience that it did. Without
the blood spilling from the elevator, the cans of Calumet baking
powder, the decoration of the hotel itself, and references to the
Holocaust; the fact that the film is referring to genocide would not have
been there. If the events and props that created the subliminal
messages had not been there, then it would just be a typical
horror/suspense movie. It is all thanks to Kubrick and the events in the
film that it has had the impact that it has.

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Work Cited
Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. "All Play and No Work? Room
237." David
Bordwell's Website on Cinema. David Bordwell, 7 Apr. 2013. Web.
22 Apr. 2015.
Langford, Catherine. "From Scene to Agent: A Burkean Analysis of the
'Living'
Constitution." Conference Papers -- National Communication
Association (2008): n. pag. Communication & Mass Media
Complete. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
Room 237. Dir. Rodney Ascher. Perf. Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli
Kearns,
John Fell Ryan, Jay Weidner. Highland Park Classics, 2012. DVD.
Trinh, Jean. "'The Shining': The Craziest Theories Behind the Film." The
Daily Beast.
Newsweek/Daily Beast, 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.