Reading Map
Para 1. Introducing the article and the idea of understanding what a rhetorical situation is.
Para 2. Introducing what the article will have to do with rhetorical situations and where rhetorical situations came from.
Para 3. Explains Bitzer’s idea of rhetorical situation and what it is to understand one. Also introduces Richard Vatz and his challenge to Bitzer.
Para 4. Introduces Consigny and his reply to both Bitzer and Vatz. Gives more understanding of rhetoric with “integrity” and “receptivity”.
Para 5-6. Explains Bitzer’s constituents of a rhetorical situation, and Grant-Davie’s response.
Para 7-12. Asks questions about discourse, what is it, why is it needed, what does it do, and explains each question.
Para 13-16. Introduces further explanation of rhetors, explains rhetor can be singular or plural, explains the roles of rhetors.
Para 17. Explains what the audience is and how it effects a rhetorical situation
Para 18. Bitzer’s and parks meanings of audience, relates audience to writing
Para 19. Shows the reader not to ask what is the audience but how a discourse creates context for the reader.
Para 20-21. Explains readers can change roles, and explains rhetorical situations are not only experienced by rhetors.
Para 22. Introduces constraints and their relationship to work with or against rhetors.
Para 23-24. Excludes part of Bitzer’s definition of constraints, but still gives a loose definition of what constraints. Explains what a rhetor has to do with constraints.
Para 25. Explains the challenge of rhetor to decide the constraints
Para 26. Introduces exigence can be complex but motivate rhetors
Para 27-30. Makes the reader think of a discussion as a compound rhetorical situation, like a public debate, relates a debate about a hotel sign being debating in a local newspaper to a compound rhetorical situation, with audiences and exigence.