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Rhetorical Situation Essay

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Rhetorical Situation Essay
Rhetorical Situation

Rhetoric – any PUBLIC symbolic expression that creates meaning in society which, in turn, helps us: make sense of our experiences, construct our identities and live our public lives

1. “Public symbolic expression” – speech, writing, art, media (television, radio, Internet), performance, music, films, etc … in the public arena

2. “experiences,” “identities,” “public lives” – how we make laws, discuss ourselves (i.e., as Americans, as Euro-American/Af-American, etc.), make collective decisions, work, are entertained, organize into religion/societies, are educated … HOW WE LIVE AS A NATION WITH DIVERSE PEOPLE AND INTERESTS!!!!

Rhetorical Situation – as mentioned on the first day of class – is the method through
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what is the political, social, historical atmosphere of the discourse?
b. what is the “exigence” – or urgent problem/obstacle that calls for a rhetorical response – within the discourse?
c. what is the relevance of the occasion? The physical “place”?
d. what are the constraints hindering the rhetor?

(2) Rhetor – the person who constructs/delivers the discourse a. what is the rhetor’s biography? Connection to the discourse or context? b. what is the rhetor’s ethos, or credibility, intelligence about the topic, perceived likeability and reputation?

(3) Audience – those who receive the discourse a. empirical – who actually experiences, in real time, the discourse b. target – the audience that the rhetor seeks to address c. oppositional – the audience most likely to disagree d. third persona – the audience implied or effect
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we study this by looking at rhetorical ideologies (see below) b. see study this by assessing rhetorical terms/tactics

(5) Effect – how the discourse impacts the community or achieves its goal a. short term effects b. long term effects c. political, aesthetic, historical effectiveness

Additional Definitions

(1) Discourse - anything symbolically expressed by human actors to communicate a message, whether intentional or not. Included in types of “texts” are: speeches, memoirs, narratives, fiction, songs, poetry, essays, manifestos, mission statements, paintings, sculpture, web sites, memorials, movies, pamphlets, documentaries, any performance, newspapers, magazines, television, radio, court opinions, letters, legislation … if a human creates it, it can be considered discourse. (2) Rhetorical Ideologies – extrinsic, broad systems of ideas – reflected in language – that guide discourses as they respond to context.

(3) Rhetorical Terms/Tactics – intrinsic, specific ways that discourse functions within itself. Included in this are metaphors, myths, narratives, familial rhetoric, etc. You’ll get this from lectures and from the “Context Sheets” as well as the “Rhetorical Terms’ guide on

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