Kenneth Burke's view of the world as "Life is drama, everyone has their own story" is a great concept. Everyone has their own history, nobody's is the same. Take a look at how many movies or books are "Based off a true story." Say that and suddenly everybody is more interested. Look at music, songwriters have to draw inspiration for songs from somewhere, so why not look at their own life? Everyone has a story to tell. It may not be the most captivating story, but everyone has one.
In that aspect, I agree with Burke. However, when he says that we're always embarrassed for not having done better, I don't quite agree with that. I think that if people took the time to really sit down and think about their life and the different choices they've made, they might regret a few, but people are too busy to realize where they are in life versus where they could have been. Someone might say, "I wish I would've taken a better job with different hours" but when they think about they might say, "At least this one pays well enough to support my family." It's a give and take. That person might be upset that he didn't take a different job, but he's also satisfied that he can take care of his family.
I think the theory of dramatism fits well as a guideline. I don't think the five elements can be seen in every situation, but I think for the most part they be seen in most stories. Relating people's person lives to a story is what writers and authors do every day. They make an exciting book for someone's life, albeit the characters are usually fiction, but they have to have some sense of realism to make the story believable.
