The rhetorical situation is defined by, first, one’s definition of rhetoric. The definition of rhetoric has been argued amongst rhetoricians, the experts who study rhetoric, for many years. To quickly summarize it, rhetoric is how one describes the art and craft of persuasion. The rhetorical situation is the relationship between the writer, what the writer is writing about or the issue, and who the writer is writing to or the audience. Isabel C. May, Ph.D., the director of University of Maryland’s Baltimore Writing Center, describes this as a triangle with writer, issue, and audience all on their own point (UMaryland). It is incredibly important to consider these relationships when working on any project or communication to be more effective with our speeches, articles, emails, essays, etc. As Mary Garret and Xiaosui Xiao noted in the Rhetoric Society Quarterly, “Although there has been disagreement over how to construe the various elements of the rhetorical situation and their relations to one another, the usefulness of the concept itself has not been questioned. (Garrett & Xiao).” In this method analysis, the rhetorical situation will continue to be described and defined using examples and sources.
When considering how to use the Rhetorical Situation to make our writing more effective, it can be just as important to self-reflect on what may be said when not considering the relationship between the writer, issue, and audience. The term for “issue” when discussing rhetoric is the “exigency,” or the reason for writing. There are times and places for everything we say and do.
During a meeting with one’s boss about one’s own individual performance the previous quarter, it may not be the best idea to only compare how much more or less that individual did than others. That particular message does not address the exigency leading to the cause of the meeting, nor does it contribute to an improvement in culture or one’s own performance and opportunities for growth. A better way would be to be humble in reflection to craft a persuading reason to say why the employer should continue to invest in the growth of the individual by honestly addressing areas of focus for more success in the future. The Rhetorical Situation is better practiced within the latter conversation by bridging the connection between the audience and the writer with how both work together towards the goal of addressing the exigency regarding the employee’s performance in transition from one quarter to the next.
The effects of considering the Rhetorical Situation are apparent and helpful, but what exactly should a beginning writer ask his or herself? How does one consider the Rhetorical Situation exactly? That begins at addressing the goal of the speech or writing. It involves a series of questions that want to help ensure the writer knows who, what, why, and how they are writing about. American literary theorist, Kenneth Burke, described the Rhetorical Situation as “The different nervous systems, through language and the ways of production, erect various communities of interests and insights, social communities varying in nature and scope. And out of the division and community arises the “universal” rhetorical situation (Burke).”
The writer has a lot of things to be aware of. First, they should be aware of themselves and their own portrayal. What premonitions is an audience going to make or what exactly would they judge of the book with just the cover, so to speak? This is important for building the connection and credibility with the words that one is about to say or write. A first-time student of rhetoric and civic controversy writing their first method analysis knows that he or she is writing to convince their professor of their own "satisfactory to great understanding" of the method being analyzed and the rubric it will be graded on.
Who is the audience? Knowing who you are speaking to and considering what may or may not be already known will be extremely important to reduce redundancies for each individual reader or listener. It becomes easier to subconsciously tune out or scroll past information one believes or assumes they already know. Equally important as that is considering what the audience cares about, and, if sources are needed, what would be credible evidence to the listeners or readers. Lastly, it all goes back to knowing the reason for writing, the exigency. How does the conversation of an issue at hand affect how you address it? To avoid inadvertent redundancies, it is also important to consider what the audience knows, believes, or does not know about the subject as well. The more illuminating and credible a speaker a writer is the more successful he or she will be.
A fantastic example of a speaker taking all of the elements of the Rhetorical Situation into consideration is Jon Stewart’s speech to pass a bill for 9/11 first responders’ health benefits to be continued. Due to inhaling all of the toxicity at Ground Zero for months after the event, first responders had begun to develop aggressive cancers and diseases. Jon Stewart is an American comedian known for his love of his hometown New York and his skillful penchant for debate. Here, he is speaking at a congressional hearing and a few sentences in he says, “Behind me, a room full of 9/11 first responders… in front of me, an empty chamber of Congress.” He uses pathos, ethos, and logos to passionately and logically advocate for the responders’ benefits. While his immediate audience was Congress, he knew it was being recorded which means the audience was truly the world. “Your indifference cost these men and women their most valuable commodity: time,” Stewart said. “It’s the one thing they’re running out of. This hearing should be flipped. These men and women should be up on that stage and Congress should be down here answering their questions as to why this is so damn hard and takes so damn long.” The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund reauthorization bill was successfully signed into law by former Pres. Donald Trump, July 19, 2019.
The Rhetorical Situation is, in its simplest definition, nearly instinctual for many writers because it is just the process by which we use our words to connect to each other’s humanity. A grieving friend does not need the triangle of the Rhetorical Situation elements to correctly convey a somber tone. That would be natural. The National Council of Teachers of English said in 2010, “Although scholars disagree on which comes first- the writing or the rhetorical situation- they agree that effective writers use the concept of the rhetorical situation throughout their composing processes. They use it as a way to frame a writing task, for example. And they use it as they compose, to be sure that their writing keeps its intended focus (Rhetorical Situation).” It is a process to better effectively understand what, how, and why we are communicating and how successful it can be.
Works Cited
Burke, Kenneth. A Rhetoric of Motives, Univ. of California Press, Berkeley, Calif,
2013, pp. 146–146.
Garret, Mary, and Xiaosui Xiao. “‘The Rhetorical Situation Revisited.’” Rhetoric
Society Quarterly, vol. 23, no. 2, 1993, pp. 30–40., https://doi.org/10.1080/02773949309390985.
“Rhetorical Situation.” College Composition and Communication, vol. 61, no. 3,
National Council of Teachers of English, 2010, pp. 611–611, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40593346.
University of Maryland, Baltimore. “Workshop.” University of Maryland, Baltimore,
https://www.umaryland.edu/writing/online-workshops/how-to-plan-and-write-a-paper/workshop/.
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