In The Rhetorical Situation, Lloyd F. Bitzer argues that what makes a situation rhetorical is similar to that which constitutes a moral action as he writes that, “an act is moral because it is an act performed in a situation of a certain kind; similarly, a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind”.(3) By defining the rhetorical situation in this way, Bitzer further contends that rhetoric is a means to altering reality. (4) It is through the use of discourse that one is capable of changing reality through thought and action. (4) Bitzer then elaborates upon the nature of a rhetorical situation by explaining that rhetorical discourse enters a situation when: providing a response to its state of affairs; rhetorical discourse is given significant presence by the situation; the situation exists as a necessary condition for rhetorical discourse to have effect; a rhetorical situation or event may mature or decay over time; the rhetorical situation invites the use of discourse to alter its reality; the rhetorical response given to the situation is appropriate; and the situation controls the response of the discourse. While Bitzer notes that these are parameters for a situation to qualify as being rhetorical, he further discusses three constituents that are present in any rhetorical situation prior to the presence and manipulation of discourse. (6) Exigence, audience, and constraints are seen to be necessary elements in a rhetorical situation for Bitzer. Exegince, “is an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be undone, a thing which is other than it should be”. (6) An audience whose members may function as mediators of change is required, as rhetoric alw...
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...al texts, would sociorhetorical interpretation provide a sufficient explanation of their success if it were to be applied to those situations, and language-games that have aided in their fairly recent formation in American society?
What’s more, with Robbins melding insights gained from work both past and present, could the insights gained from cognitive science, provide additional understanding into the ways in which totalistic groups are capable of “brainwashing” their adherents? If the frames or schemas are constructed and informed through social conditioning, it seems that they may be subject to re-shaping, and re-definition by a group or a society. While sociorhetorical interpretation’s scope seems to be extremely broad, it may be the approach needed to successfully engage and explain such phenomena.
Looking at the readings by Bitzer, Vatz, Morey, and Edbauer-Rice, we can see a connection in some way to each other. First, in Bitzer, we are told that the “situation influences the rhetoric” and that “rhetorical situations must exist as a necessary condition of rhetorical discourse,” (Bitzer 5). But when looking at Vatz, he tells us the direct opposite, that “rhetoric influences the situation” (Vatz 159????) and “meaning is not discovered in situation but created by rhetors” (Vatz 157). Basically, Vatz is telling the audience that “rhetors are responsible for what they choose to make salient,” (Vatz 158) instead of merely being a “reflector of reality,” (Vatz 158). As we continue through the readings, we begin to notice an expansion on ideas, where we can see a similarity in ideas between Bitzer and Morey. Morey expands on Bitzer by first, introducing the original rhetorical triangle, which includes rhetor, artifact, and audience (all three of which as seen in Bitzer) and elaborates on this triangle to make it a tetrahedron. In this tetrahedron, he adds design, medium, and genre to...
Heinrichs begins by explaining the art of rhetoric and laying out the basic tools of argument. He emphasizes the importance of using the proper tense to avoid arguing the wrong issue. Furthermore, he introduces logos, ethos and pathos and shows how to “wield” each rhetorical tool. In Part 2, Heinrichs discusses common logical fallacies as well as rhetorical fouls. He remarks rhetoric’s single rule of never arguing the inarguable and demonstrates how ethos helps to know whom to trust. In Part 3, Kairos becomes an important tool for knowing the right time to persuade one’s audience. In Part 4 of the novel, the author provides examples of how to use rhetorical tools previously introduced in the
A rhetorical situation can be found in every composition since it serves as the foundation. To further provide evidence towards my claims about the function of the rhetorical situation, I will analyze how three different compositions were influenced by the rhetorical situation.
In our world today, everyone has a different way of interpretation. Interpretation ranges from person to person and varies with every artifact that we interpret. A red octagon to some may mean to stop while to others it may have no meaning. A poem or song may have one meaning to one person and a completely different meaning to another person. To help uncover the reasoning behind an artifact a rhetorical analysis can be utilized. When one utilizes a rhetorical analysis, it will result in their interpretation of the artifact.
A rhetoric analysis can be defined as the breakdown of components used to make a persuasive argument or judgment on a particular subject or topic. The ability to make a conclusion or decision on a given thought or idea in a moment of seconds is a result of rhetorical analysis. “Because media rhetoric surrounds us, it is important to understand how rhetoric works. If we refuse to stop and think about how and why it persuades us, we can become mindless consumers who buy into arguments about what makes us value ourselves and what makes us happy”. In Carroll’s essay “Backpacks Vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis”, she discusses the nature of rhetorical analysis, how it affects our everyday lives and explains the role context plays.
Rhetoric is something that we use constantly in our everyday life. Unbeknown to us, we have been using the persuasive appeals of pathos, ethos and logos even for the most mundane things. Rhetoric can be seen everywhere in our everyday’s lives in form of media, religion, politics, government propaganda, historic references and social media. We should learn to identify and appropriately use the different categories of rhetoric expressions in an effective manner. Rhetoric is the study of effective speaking and writing in order to convince the audience or the reader. It is sued to convince the audience to think in the same way as the arguer or the presenter.
Huxley, A. (2004). Brainwashing. In A. Huxley, Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited (pp. 287-295). New York: Harper Perenials.
Out of this massive loss a rhetorical situation (a situation where individuals’ understanding can be altered through messages) had arose ( Zarefsky 12). The American public was in shambles, school children left with more questions than answers, and grieving families were carrying the bulk of it all (Eidenmuller 29). What this ...
Rhetoric in the article by William Covino and David Jolliffe is explained as an art of persuasion that uses communication with a purpose or goal. To add, it is an ongoing conversation between the rhetor and the auditors. In addition to using persuasion, the observance of the audience is used as well. In the article by William Covino and David Jolliffe they talk about the four major elements of rhetoric: the rhetorical situation, the audience, the methods of persuasion, and the 5 canons. As explained in the reading the purpose of rhetorical communication is to teach, to please, and to move.
The first thing we covered this week was rhetorical situations. When I first read the title I thought back to Junior year of High School when I learned about rhetorical squares. This was not my strong suit, which caused me to worry a little bit about this material. Once we got into the material about rhetorical situations I realized that the way it was described made sense and was easier to comprehend. Rhetorical situation means any situation where you
A rhetorical situation, or problem, to me is the act of attempting to change someone's standpoint on certain issues by stating examples fit for the intended audience. I came to that conclusion by researching and using some common sense. First, I looked at the word ‘rhetorical’. Rhetorical means, in a nutshell, intended to cause persuasion or to practice the art of effective communication. Next, we can look at the words ‘situation’ and ‘problem’; generally meaning a conflict between different independant views. Finally, I came to my definition -by understanding the individual words, followed by some research of the words combined- of the rhetorical situation, or problem; which is the act of attempting to change someone else’s view on a conflict.
Clark (2016) suggests that rhetoric isn’t limited to oral communication, but currently has a permanent foothold in written works: magazine or newspaper excerpts, novels, and scientific reports. Not only written
Rhetoric, the art of speaking, is vital in everyday life. Whether it is to convince others of one’s worth as Sojourner Truth does in, “Ain’t I a Woman” or to pledge to a larger audience like Martin Luther King Junior in his “I Have a Dream” speech, rhetoric plays a significant role because it is the key that unlocks the door to self-expression. Without it, nobody would be able to convey his/her message or to get any thoughts across. A silent world, lacking communication, would therefore emerge. Trust would not be present as there would not be any words for someone to convince their beloved ones of his/her sincerity. Proper diction and syntax must be employed in order for one to effectively get others to share his/her beliefs, or at least to respect them.
Yet not all Religious Fundamentalism can be categorised as both totalitarian and violent as they are not all involved in terrorism or violent protest but usually one or both. The overwhelming evidence does support this as Hindus and Muslims in the state of Gujarat partake in communal violence, the Amish can be debated using symbolic violence (Heywood, 2012, p. 305). This suggests that Religious Fundamentalism will always be linked to violence and totalitarianism, because of the majority's actions and principles. Works Cited Ball, T. And Dagger, R. (2009) Ideals and Ideologies: A Reader.
First I learned about understanding and applying a variety of key rhetorical terms, such as rhetorical situation, exigence, rhetor, audience, purpose, constraints, kairos, identification, situated ethos, invented ethos, pathos, logos, and visual rhetoric within my writing. Before the Blugold Seminar I had never learned most of these terms, nor how to apply them to writing. In my most recent piece of writing for this class, the magazine article shows off how I have really expanded my knowledge of these terms and was able to use them correctly. My magazine was for parents regarding their te...