What action; what thoughts? Burke defines the act as that which "names what took place, in thought or deed." Since an act is likely composed of many separate actions, Burke states that "any verb, no matter how specific or general, that has connotations of consciousness or purpose falls under this category." Scene Scene, which is associated with the setting of an act and answers the questions "when?" and "where?", is related to the world view of materialism and minimal or non-existent free will. Burke defines the scene as "the background of an act, the situation in which it occurred." Agent Agent, which answers the question "by whom?", reflects the world view of philosophical idealism. Burke defines the agent as "what person or kind of person performed the act." Agency Agency (means), which is associated with the person or the organization that committed the deed and answers the question "how?", implies a pragmatic point of view. Burke defines agency as "what instrument or instruments he used." Purpose Purpose, which is associated with meaning and answers the question "why?", indicates that the agent seeks unity through identification with an ultimate meaning of life. It reflects the world view of mysticism. Purpose is inextricably linked to the analysis of "motive" which, derived from the title of A Grammar of Motives, is the main subject of its analysis. Since purpose is both the subject of analysis and an element of the dramatistic pentad, it is not a common element to be included in a ratio. Ratios In A Grammar of Motives, Burke provides a system of analysis for the scene-act ratio and the scene-agent ratio, though his analysis of ratios in the analysis of rhetoric is not limited to these. He states that, "The principles of dramatic consistency would lead one to expect such cases of overlap among the terms; but while being aware of them we should firmly fix in our minds such cases as afford a clear differentiation. Our terms leaning themselves towards merger and division, we are here trying to divide two of them while recognizing their possibilities of merger." Thus any two dramatistic elements can be analyzed in relation to each other, creating a ratio, and can produce individual, yet separate meanings which are equally valid. However, the rhetor's selection of elements to compose a ratio should be scrutinized, as it can deflect attention away from or direct attention towards