Guidelines for blog post:
In about 500 words or less, I want you to explore the following questions. Be specific in your responses. You can use direct quotes from Bitzer’s piece (and in fact this might be the most helpful in your explanation of a rhetorical situation). Blog posts are free and open and their language is casual. I should be able to begin to see who you are as a composer—through your voice, style and language choices.
According to Bitzer, what is rhetoric? What is a rhetorical situation? Why are both important in the understanding of how to compose? What do you believe comes first—the writing or the rhetorical situation? Do you believe all writing needs a rhetorical situation in order to compose? Why or Why not?
If you are NOT the first one to post you need to mention at least one or two of your peers’ responses in your entry i.e. you may agree or disagree with what someone else’s definition of what rhetoric is. You cite this person in your response and note why you are citing this person (for example, Kara mentioned that any situation can be rhetorical, but I’m not sure I agree. I believe...). Don't forget to do this as it is part of the assignment.
From what I’ve gathered from Bitzer’s article, rhetoric is how a person uses language effectively. The rhetorical situation is dependent on the observations and responses a person makes and each response is tailored specifically to the situation. He mentions Churchill giving a speech in response to a crisis at the “finest hour.” Basically saying that Churchill waited until the most perfect moment, when his country was looking for the light at the end of the tunnel of misery, to make his uplifting statement. And after JFK’s assassination the media tailored itself to provide answers to the questions people had, while individual people held their own personal thought on the topic. Which leads me to believe that while a writer can have plan in mind, essentially there are infinite amounts of discourse possible. I think in order to write pieces for education purposes, a rhetorical question is needed. Questioning an idea is the foundation for all articles I’ve read. All authors are investigating a theory, be it a theme of rhetoric or the idea of “whiteness” in literature, the article is compiled of layers of information defending or arguing a theory. To me, Bitzer is arguing that speeches or even verbal commands as simple as ‘pull in the net’ are all in response to a situation. Even a conversation between two people is dependent upon the conditions of the situation: how well the people know each other and their personal views. Even then people tailor their responses to fit the needs of the other. I think all stories have a rhetorical situation as a starting point. Whether or not it ceases to be logical or even believable is entirely dependent on the writer to communicate and reader to interpret. To some the plot of Cinderella growing up a servant and then becoming a princess because the shoe fit is entirely unlikely but to another reader it is totally possible. Both rhetoric and rhetorical situations are important in composing because how a person writes or speaks determines how the audience will receive them and there is always an audience. Even when you don’t think out-loud, you are your own audience.
ReplyDeleteAfter I had read the rhetoric article many thoughts came to my mind. First off it was a very confusing topic but none the less kind of interesting, if that is, I understood it completely. According to Bitzer rhetoric is speaking and writing while also impressing the audience. It not only is how one writes it but also how someone speaks it as well. Basically the communication of language. A rhetorical situation has four parts: author, audience, text, and context. Both rhetoric and rhetoric situation are very important because they help you create a clear and focused writing. Well, ever since today I believed that the writing came first. Now that I have researched into rhetoric I believe that that rhetoric comes first. It helps organize and structure a writing assignment. You have to get the reader to engage in what you are writing. I do not believe all writing needs a rhetorical situation to compose because there are all kinds of writing and creative writing. Not everything has to be structured. Sometimes it is creative and very pleasant to have an unorganized writing if you are doing it correctly. Olivia B states in her post that “Churchill waited until the most perfect moment, when his country was looking for the light at the end of the tunnel of misery, to make his uplifting statement.” He waited until everyone was at their weakest to boost them up to a level where they believed again. Bitzer quotes in the article, “I do not mean that a rhetorical discourse must be
ReplyDeleteembedded in historic context in the sense that a living tree
must be rooted in soil. A tree does not obtain its character-as tree
from the soil, but rhetorical discourse, I shall argue, does
obtain its character-as-rhetorical from the situation which generates
it.” This saying pretty much means that it’s an act performed in a situation and performs some task. Metaphorically not literally. Bitzer gives an example, in this example such words as “lift the net”, “pull in”, and “let go” are all responses to a situation. Everyone has their own response and its on the writer to write it and the reader to interpret it. Everyone reads things differently. So, to one person it might mean one thing and to another it might mean something else.
According to Bitzer, rhetoric is a style of speaking that in some way persuades an audience. Bitzer explains that rhetoric is “a mode of altering reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action.” What I take from this is that rhetoric is similar to persuasion in the idea that one person attempts to change the actions or beliefs of his or her audience or peers. Bitzer says that a rhetoric situation is a “natural context of persons, events, objects, relations, and an exigence which strongly invites utterance.” This covers the three elements that he explains are critical to any rhetorical activity. First is exigence, which is a sense of urgency. The second is the audience, which, as Bitzer says, must be “constrained in decision and action.” Thirdly, a rhetorical situation includes constraints, which are the overall influence and persuasiveness that the speaker has on the audience. I think that rhetoric is an important element in writing because it allows for action to take place in a story or in history. Without some sort of persuasion or rhetoric, most actions are irrelevant. I think that the writing comes before the rhetorical situation because in order for some sort of change to occur, the rhetoric must be shared with an audience. Then, from there, change will occur. I don’t think that every piece of writing needs a rhetorical situation, but without it, most writing seems limited, boring, and plot-less. In regard to what Olivia stated, I too do believe that the basis for education is rhetoric, because without some sort of rhetorical question, there is little room for expansion of knowledge. Almost one hundred percent of the time, rhetoric is included in writing or speech. Without it, there truly would be no room for growth.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Bitzer, rhetoric is the way in which language is conveyed, the result being an idea, explanation or a principle. A rhetorical situation is one in which an event rises, heeding a response - but as Bitzer argues, rhetoric is situational in an indirect manner. Rhetorical situations are not always going to yield an answer or conclusion, some conditions remain unresolved forever. Bitzer argues that rhetoric is persuasive and essentially has a way in which it reaches the audience and is marked by pertaining to a situation in some way, typically thought provoking and yields a response to the situation at hand. In composing, one must have a precise understanding of the situation at hand and construct their message in a way that is eloquent and persuasive without offense and sees that it pertains to the situation that is impending or has passed. Bitzer states, "To say the situation is
ReplyDeleteobjective, publicly observable, and historic means that it is feaT
or genuine — that our critical examination will certify its existence." I believe the way in which one composes is the way in which the situation lives on in history and how it is perceived by those who read the composition. I believe a rhetorical situation precedes the writing, I believe an event of significance must take place before it can have a proper response. Moreover, I believe that a certain event sparks situational rhetoric merely because it happened. The event may inspire or influence a certain style or voice that otherwise would have gone dormant. I don't necessarily believe all writing needs a rhetorical situation, however I do think they help as a means of imminent composition. I second Olivia B in the JFK assassination speech Blitzer mentions, I believe that the event of JFK being killed sparked the need for a fitting response and an address of some sort to evoke a response from the public. Rhetoric is like pandoras box - once a message is conveyed a multitude of meanings, messages and views are out for others to conceive how they choose, and it is up to not only the composer but the listener as well to see it from there.
In reference to Bitzer, rhetoric is the conveying of an idea or topic through text to influence an audience. A rhetorical situation is a series of events, or point in time that occurs with the outcome being a rhetorical discourse. The text and the situation coincide with each other. Without the situation there would be no need to compose a written response.
ReplyDeleteI believe the rhetorical situation comes before the writing because the writing is in response to the situation. It follows the concept of cause and effect. Bitzer uses the example of the Presidential assassination of JFK in his argument. Because of this catastrophic event in history, many documents were created with the purpose of informing and analyzing the assassination for the inquiring American public.
In my opinion, a rhetorical situation gives a piece of writing a function. For example, Bitzer writes, “the inauguration of a President of the United States demands an address which speaks to the nation’s purposes”. The speech’s function, given by the President, is to attend to the concerns of the nation. Once given, the audience then serves as a “mediator of the change which the discourse functions to produce”.
I believe that in order for something to be written, it needs to have a purpose. Therefore, in response to what Olivia wrote, a rhetorical question serves as a reaction to a situation or idea, which creates a purpose for the question to be analyzed and argued against/for.
After reading Bitzer's article, I would like to agree with Shannon Gray. It was very difficult reading this article and also trying to understand his tone and his voice. As soon as i started to read his first sentence I could tell that this was going to be an interesting article. As indicated by Bitzer, rhetoric is a clear instance of understandings that indicate presence of a situation. “Meaning-context is a general condition of human communication and is not synonymous with rhetorical situation.” When Bitzer speaks in such a tone like in this phrase, I can only begin to reflect if my past writings or interactions with people have been exactly like this. A rhetoric situation or like how Bitzer likes to believe it is, “rhetoric discourse,” is how things are to be described, if it upholds to certain characteristics, and most importantly, how do they (the subject) result in creation of rhetoric and to also is a response to a situation. “A work of rhetoric is pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself…” That quote justifies that yes; all readings need a rhetorical discourse in order to compose. However, the rhetoric situation must be true. If you are writing about something it is because you may not know something and are in search of the answer or you know. I have to agree again with Shannon when she said, “everyone has their own response and it’s on to the writer to write it and the reader to interpret it.” The way you say things and they way you go about things will reflect in your own writings. When Bitzer explains that verbal responses are as important and necessary to the physical responses it finally clicked to me. The reader(s) can connect and relate to your writings. Understanding what you are saying is different than actually putting it to perspective and trying to be the author. Bitzer believed that rhetoric and rhetorical situation could be the reason to show the readers exactly that.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read Bitzer’s article (the 5th or 6th time) I came to the understanding that he was defining rhetoric as a literary device used to sway an audience/peers into the viewpoint of the author/orator. He expands on this by defining different outputs of rhetoric, one being the rhetorical situation. I interpreted rhetorical situation to be an instance when circumstances can change the application of rhetoric. He mentioned how a crisis created a powerful speech with Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. When under pressure, a piece of writing might have different results than during a calm moment. When writing something, it is helpful to know how to create persuasive material so that your audience is able to fully understand what you are communicating to them. This is something I need to work on myself, and help to learn from WEPO. I do not believe that writing needs a rhetorical situation in order to exist. Everyone has their own writing styles and sometimes works of literature take years to complete. Some people have difficulty even applying rhetoric in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Caroline’s statement, “In composing, one must have a precise understanding of the situation at hand and construct their message in a way that is eloquent and persuasive without offense and sees that it pertains to the situation that is impending or has passed”. I think that everyone interprets a situation differently and while I may think I understand it, someone else may not. When writing, it is out of the author’s control whether or not they will offend someone. It is simply a challenge to use rhetoric to the best of one’s ability in order to gain the widest audience and to get your opinions and thoughts out into the world.
After reading Blitzer’s article, I still find the whole topic of rhetoric to be confusing. Bitzer says that, “In short, rhetoric is a mode of altering reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action.” I took that to mean that rhetoric persuades the reader to believe something with use of discourse rather than just saying what is happening word for word. When rhetoric is situational, it has many different characteristics. It comes into existence and is given significance due to a situation, must exist as a necessary condition of an answer, and it could mature and decay without an utterance. Also, it needs discourse capable of altering its reality, is a response to a situation and controls the response. The exact definition according to Bitzer is “a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action as to bring about the significant modification of the exigence”. I’ve learned that three parts work together to make up the rhetorical situation. First there is exigence, which is the problem waiting to be solved. Then there is the audience, which is the mediator of change and then finally the constraint, which is something that could hinder the action. I’ve found that only the audience can solve the problem, not the constraints. It is important to understand how to compose it properly so that we may influence others. What kind of world would it be without people sharing opinions or trying to solve problems? I agree with walters when he says that he believes not all writing needs rhetorical situation, but without it, it would be boring. I think it is important to have some type of opinion about something, because if there is no persuasion involved, all you are reading is a list of boring information.
ReplyDeleteI thought that I would understand it. Bitzer however, addresses the concept in a way with which I was not familiar. His definition was completely different than the one I may have constructed. Like Shannon and Anneleise, I found rhetoric to be difficult to understand. Bitzer defines rhetoric as a discourse to a given situation in which the reader, along with other elements, is provoked to create a change or to take action. Rhetoric is essentially a response to a certain situation. A rhetorical situation involves persons, events, objects, or relations that provide an exigence (something that can be changed or modified), which is brought into a situation and can be altered by a modifying action. When composing, it is definitely important to grasp the concept of both rhetoric and the rhetorical situation. As a writer, one must be connected with the exigencies, audience, and constraints involved. Bitzer explains that the writer must know whom he/she is writing for and what their reaction may be, or what he/she desires from the audience. Also, the writer must be aware of the constraints or the situation as well as the exigencies. With this being explained, I believe that the rhetorical situation comes first. Something must provoke the writer to write. An event, person, object, or circumstance must call the writer to action, just as the writing must call the audience to action in a rhetorical situation. Examples of rhetoric that Bitzer, and many of my classmates repeatedly mention are Churchill and Lincoln’s speeches. Speeches are powerful and always seem to occur at the right time and in the right situation. These situations influence writers to produce discourse. Their prime timing also adds to their effect. Bitzer quotes, “the fishermen finds himself obliged to speak a given moment”. This is similar to the reason that many speeches such as a president’s speech during a war or disaster are given. The situation simply calls for it. Although common and important, rhetorical writing is obviously not the only form of writing. Therefore, I do not think that it is necessary in order to compose. For example, Bitzer explains that poetry is not written due to a rhetorical situation. It is written for artistry and aesthetics. It does not call one to action or provide discourse on a subject. Although rhetorical situations are not always necessary in writing, rhetoric is still a very important to understand because it is an essential part of many writing processes.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article by Bitzer, I believe that the rhetorical situation is strongly based on language. Many things in life are situational, a person displays a stimulus and there is a reaction. Just as a person displays an action, words also provoke a reaction from the reader. Sometimes words jump off of the page and really catch your attention. When words are rhetorical they describe a situation, but it can only be considered situational when rhetorical conversation is present. Not all topics are accompanied by discussion; those that do not offer a response to a question or a solution to a problem are not situational rhetoric. Characteristics of a rhetorical situation include, people, events, objects, relations, and speech that needs to be delivered. The rhetorical character is developed through participating with the situation at hand. The meaning is relayed to the audience through pragmatic speech. Rhetoric focuses on interactions between many communication mediums, such as, the subject, speaker, and audience. Rhetoric distinguishes all types of speech, and provides proof based off of intellect, emotion, theory, and ethics. Rhetoric at times can be uncertain unless the audience understands the concept of meaning-context. According to Bitzer, “Virtually no utterance is fully intelligible unless meaning-context and utterance are understood; this is true of rhetorical and non-rhetorical discourse.” Once the audience and subjects understand the context of the speech being delivered they reveal the meaning, facts, and tone of the piece. Bitzer also said, “Meaning-context is a general condition of human communication and is not synonymous with rhetorical situation.” The purpose of rhetoric is to produce some change within the world. Rhetoric is necessary to the evolutions in writing, communication, language, and the real world. Rhetoric is often viewed as persuasive writing or speech, and the rhetor allegedly alters reality to fit a situation. Both forms of rhetoric are essential for composing. Caroline Hughes mentioned composition I agree with her words, “In composing, one must have a precise understanding of the situation at hand and construct their message in a way that is eloquent and persuasive without offense and sees that it pertains to the situation that is impending or has passed.” I believe the situation comes before the writing, and allows sparks to ignite within the writer’s mind. I believe the composer needs to understand the topic before being able to write a convincing and knowledgeable piece. Not all writing needs a rhetorical situation or structure to be composed. Many topics are developed to a certain point, and there are always certain questions that cannot be answered. Without various mysteries in writing there would be no need or desire to delve deeper into topics, and contribute information about the unknown. I believe that rhetoric and rhetorical situations help the real world and its audience to better understand the true meaning of things.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Bitzer, rhetoric is the use of words of someone’s thoughts and meaning that is displayed upon another audience whether it be read or spoken. Rhetorical situation is one the situation that was into place that caused for the rhetoric to come about. Historical event, people and their relations as well as objects can all create a rhetorical situation. It can also be looked at as a question that someone asks. You look at a situation and you understand what question is being asked. With the answer to the question being asked, you are able to come up with an answer that is passed on to others with the same question. This is rhetorical situation. It is important to understand both because first, you must make sure the audience is able to understand the meaning of the message being sent. The words and body language being used must all be understood to get fully push the message. The situation is also extremely important because I agree with Bitzer; the situation comes before the discourse. The situation states that there is a problem or something needs to be addressed. With this conformation, one is able to create the rhetoric that needs to be used to address the said problem. I would have to say that I do agree that all writing has to be situational for it to be rhetoric. Without the situation, one would not have a reason to write about things. The situation however, does not have to be a huge ordeal. It could be a mental situation in the writers head. This could be where most of the genre poetry comes from. After reading my peer’s writings on rhetoric, I would have to agree with Shannon on many aspects. Her definition of rhetoric is exactly what I feel rhetoric is. Communicating language is rhetoric. Unlike Shannon however, I believed that the situation always came before the rhetoric. One must understand the problem before they can try and solve it.
ReplyDeleteBitzer initially approaches the definition of rhetoric by listing off some things that rhetoric is not to be confused with or mistaken for. How I tried approaching it was like in real estate location is key, while in rhetoric it is not. Or how on “The Price is Right” the contestants rely on audience interaction, but in rhetoric Bitzer tells us not to focus on that. Later in the article Bitzer defines rhetoric as “a mode of altering reality”, through this “mode” the writer uses thought and action to create discourse. By sculpting thought and action, the rhetoric of a piece of writing is like setting the communication and energy throughout the work on autopilot. The writer sets the mood and conducts the debate, which helps segue into the climax of the story, allowing readers to hop on board the rhetoric plane. This aspect of rhetoric makes me believe that most writing needs a rhetorical situation to compose, but not all works. I believe that any writing that has a beginning, middle/climax, and a conclusion needs the element that rhetoric provides with human qualities like imperfection, or as Bitzer says, “exigence”. On the other hand, something informational like magazine articles, a blog post, an obituary, does not necessarily need such focus on this altered reality and discourse, especially without the presence of characters and plot. As a result of this technique, writing can happen once the rhetorical situation is determined. Upon the writer being bestowed with that first idea and the potential to alter that reality is present, writing can begin. I agree with Olivia B where she mentions that all stories have rhetorical situations as a starting point. With the help of the rhetorical situation, the writer is provided with fuel to develop a story and the reader is ensured enjoyment from seeing where the writer will take them.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Bitzer, rhetoric is the art of using words to influence an audience. I love how he considers rhetoric “ a mode of altering reality”. It suggests the power of words and how one can change the opinion of others with them. Through this essay, Bitzer shared a new aspect of rhetoric to me- rhetorical situation. As a communication major and an aspiring entertainment lawyer, I have spent a great deal of the collegiate career studying rhetoric. And frankly, this is my first time reading anything about “rhetorical situations” and how it can shape the message to the audience. I found it interesting that Bitzer mentioned how the father of rhetoric, Aristotle, has undermined rhetorical situations. It introduces the topic as something that needs to be discussed more. Rhetorical situations are affected by the observations, experiences, and responses one has. Each response affects the situation. Precisely Bitzer defines it as “natural context of persons, events, objects, relations…. which strongly invites utterance.” For English majors in the class, I am sure considering this during compositions can effectively help with persuading audiences. I personally never consciously composed anything while thinking of “rhetorical situations”. In retrospect, I see how situations have shaped essays or short stories I have composed. Without situations happening to me or others, where could the inspiration to write come from? I think rhetoric and rhetorical situations help shape the tone of a composition. The direction of the piece can be affected by the situations used to support the persuasion. I can understand different circumstances where both (rhetoric and rhetorical situations) can come first. But rhetorical situations are the foundation of persuasive writing. Sharing experiences and connecting them to topics for an audience proves situations occur that influence rhetoric. With that being said, I want to add that I think a situation is mandatory for writing. People can write about a topic they do not know about, that’s the purpose of research. Not being able to share personal experiences and observations decrease a certain authenticity. I recently saw a lecture from Chimamanda Adichie, an African writer, who had an issue sharing her personal life experiences with her writing. She would write stories about white characters, red apples, and ginger beer. None of which reflected her experiences as a Nigerian woman, thus her writing lacked a certain authenticity. As Adichie was unable to share her personal experiences her writing did not seem to be authentic African literature. This supports that personal narratives create a lens for writers to see a situation. Caroline Hughes shared similar views as I did. She believes “an event of significance must take place before it can have a proper response.” This quote suggests that inspiration is needed to create. It is somewhat ironic or comical that after discovering the term, it is easy to see why people write. Yeah its inspiration, but it was a rhetorical situation that caused one to speak out about an issue. Who would have known we have been using it this entire time? LOL
ReplyDeleteIn this piece Bitzer is trying to show that “Rhetoric is situational” and I would totally agree. If there is no audience or reason to be giving your speech then the message you were intending to spread will not get across. I like Bitzer’s examples of Presidential speeches, because all of their speeches are crafted towards a means to an end. A Presidents speech will always be relevant to the point and situation they are in. This goes into Bitzer’s view of a rhetorical situation. According to Bitzer “A speech will be rhetorical when it is a response to the kind of situation which is rhetorical.” Rhetoric, according to Bitzer is the art of using words to influence an audience. At some point in your life where you have to use words and techniques to explain to, defend or help others agree or disagree with a point you have. Rhetoric and rhetorical situations are both important if you are going to compose because you must be able to see both sides of the argument if you are going to make something that is considered “fitting” to the situation. One could argue that every situation can have a fitting response, but in agreeance with Bitzer “ if the rhetor doesn’t prescribe” the correct fitting response then its something that doesn’t work. You have to take into account the situation and the audience that you are speaking too. A president would never say we should be afraid and will do nothing as a nation after a terrorist attack. Generally speaking I would say the rhetorical situation comes before writing. In order for it to be a situation there has to be something that you are writing in response to. This isn’t always the case but in most of the examples Bitzer was using it seemed to be the way he described it. But I agree with Kelly when she says that something like a blog or magazine can be informational until the rhetorical situation is determined. Either way I feel like they go hand in hand and that question is almost like which came first the chicken or the egg? Because you can agree and disagree with things on both sides of the argument.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though Bitzer’s Rhetorical Situation is the philosophy behind the kairos of life. If the four elements of a situation are what create discourse, how wouldn’t they create kairos? The context of a rhetorical situation is what supports the kairos in providing the opportune time for discussion. Unless I’m mistaken in thinking that a fashion lookbook infused with winter items being released in the springtime is bad kairos. Although a lookbook, or any novel written with sole imagery, lacks words creating sentences, who is to say whether or not it is a novel? I believe a novel doesn’t need words to be a novel take, for example, Max Ernst’s graphic novel, Une Semaine De Bonte. With that being said, a winter lookbook in spring just isn’t the right time. It’s a production of not only a lack of common sense, but also a misunderstanding of a rhetorical situation. In Kellyyy’s comment, she says, “most writing needs a rhetorical situation to compose, but not all works.” I must say that I disagree. A rhetorical situation exists every time a writer is writing. The genre of writing, whether it be a short story or an informative article, is the way in which the writer is presenting the “purpose” to the “audience.” Although genres vary, none of them lack a rhetorical situation. In the main blog post, we’re asked if we think either writing or situation comes first. My answer would be situation, for I believe that a rhetorical situation is the force the writer is given to write. Society takes this writing, derived from a rhetorical situation, and creates or extends discourse. The writing is a production of a rhetorical situation and a contribution to discourse. On the top of page 4 of The Rhetorical Situation, Bitzer starts an explanation of rhetoric. In response to that paragraph, I’ll end with claiming that any mode of rhetoric can be the medium of change. The rhetorical situation is brought to light by what the writer produces. This production is what alters discourse. Discourse is always changing. Our situational writings are only contributions to the discourse formation.
ReplyDeleteAs other classmates have mentioned above I found the Bitzer essay to be very confusing and hard to understand, however I agree with most of what he is saying. I think the article could have been worded a little differently to make it an easier read, which in essence would have made the concept a lot easier to understand. Bitzer defines rhetoric to be many different things. One of his definitions is that rhetoric is situational. I found this to be a true statement. Situations are the grounds for everything we do. The way we talk, write, and even act. As Bitzer stated rhetoric is “a way of altering reality.” We say things in various situations to try to alter the situation or as Bizer stated alter the reality. As classmate Michelle stated above, the rhetorical situations come before the writing, because usually when we write or speak for that matter we are writing or speaking in response to a given situation. Bitzer gave an example of this using the assassination of former President Kennedy. I do feel that all writing needs a rhetorical situation in order to be written. As Bitzer illustrated in the essay it would be hard to eulogies for people who never existed. If that were to happen the writer would be creating a fictional situation as writer you need a situation to respond to, as Bitzer stated, the situation is being the question and the rhetor being the answer.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Lloyd F. Bitzer’s piece on “The Rhetorical Situation” I concluded that a rhetorical situation occurs when there is a pressing problem is the occasion for writing. The context can persuade, influence or cause the audience to react in a certain way. Every rhetorical situation addresses a point and has a reason of why it occurs. The situation affects the context and the context is altered depending on your audience. An example of a situation affecting the context of your conversation or speech is that while you are attending a funeral or a church service you are not going to be discussing the latest Hollywood gossip or last night’s football game. When Blitzer stated, “every rhetorical situation contains a set of constraints made up of persons, events, objects, and relations which are parts of the situation because they have the power to constrain decision and action needed to modify the exigence,” was when I felt I got a better grasp on all the aspects of a rhetorical situation. I believe that Caroline Hughes captured the frustrating part of rhetorical situations perfectly by stating, “Rhetorical situations are not always going to yield an answer or conclusion, some conditions remain unresolved forever.” There will always be an immediate response but not always an answer. I thought it was interesting the way Olivia explained how Bitzer argues that speeches or verbal commands are in response to a situation by tying it in with a conversation. The way she explained how people alter how they word things depending on their personal views, if they even know them, the formality and even the atmosphere helped me understand rhetorical situation more in depth. I believe that all writing already has a rhetorical situation. Whether it is a speech, text message, poem or a story you are writing, you have a purpose. You know the audience you have and you work around that and so on. I also believe that rhetorical situation becomes before the writing. As I discussed earlier, the way Bitzer argued that speech or verbal commands are in response to a situation proves my point that it falls in that order. Whenever we are having a conversation with someone we react to what the other person says and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Bitzer, rhetoric is “a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action as to bring about the significant modification of the exigence”. Basically, rhetoric is the study of language and a rhetorical situation must bring about a change. There are three parts of every rhetorical situation. First there is exigence, the problem waiting to be solved with urgency. Then there is the audience, the mediator of change, and the constraint, which is something that could hold back the action. When all three factors are present, the situation may be rhetorical.
ReplyDeleteBitzer explains that rhetoric is “a mode of altering reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action.” For something to be rhetorical, it must provoke thought and action.For a situation to be rhetorical it must invite the rhetor to create and present discourse, invite a fitting response to the situation, and the situation must somehow prescribe the response that fits. The exigences that generate rhetorical discourse must be real, objective, and publicly overseeable historic facts. Rhetorical situations have structures that are simple or complex and organized.
I agree with Walters that not all writing needs a rhetorical situation but without it, it may be boring. The author needs to take a stance and present an argument through persuasion. The study of rhetoric is key in our evolution as writers because it teaches us methods to best present an argument and gives insight on how to compose a literary piece.
According to the essay, Bitzer defines rhetoric as, "a mode of altering reality...
ReplyDeleteby the creation of discourse which changes reality through mediation of thought and
action","... it functions ultimately to produce action or change in the world; it performs
some task", and "... is always persuasive." Rhetoric as a discipline provides strategic
methods for effective communication, through speech or written discourse, necessary for
response to a rhetorical situation. The rhetorical situation, Bitzer states, is "a complex
of persons,events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which
can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so
constrain human decision or action as to bring about the significant modification of the
exigence." In essence, a rhetorical situation is an occasion, event, or circumstance
which prompts a specific and necessary response that brings about change by "influencing
the decisions and actions of persons who function as mediators of change."
As an English major not very well versed in rhetoric or rhetorical theory, this article gave me clear insight into how
rhetoric and rhetorical situations go hand in hand, in the context of composition. We typically write or compose for a
specific purpose, in response to a particular event or occasion, or for our personal enjoyment; the writing we produce is
a form of discourse, persuasive in intent, presented to an audience capable of being influenced by its content, whether
it's a research paper given to a professor, a text message to a friend or an entry into a personal journal for
self-reflection. The issue or circumstance that occasioned the writing (the reason the discourse is being produced in the
first place) is the rhetorical situation, the writing itself (the discourse) is the rhetoric or uses rhetorical methods.
In order for the writing to be considered rhetorical, it has to respond to a situation that is rhetorical.
According to Bitzer, "Rhetorical discourse is called into existence by situation..." and the situation must invite a
rhetor to "...create and present discourse." It is evident from the essay that it is impossible to have rhetoric without a
rhetorical situation, and since rhetoric is used as a means of producing discourse (written composition or speech) it
follows that the rhetorical situation comes before the discourse which is formed through rhetoric.
As referenced in the essay, there are some forms of writings that do not require a rhetorical situation for their
composition, but it should be noted that these works are not deemed rhetorical. Bitzer uses scientific findings as an
example of a composition which is not rhetorical because the directed audience is not necessarily capable of influence or
mediators of change (one of the three elements of a rhetorical situation); scientific writings, according to Bitzer are
considered informational not persuasive. I agree with Julia, who states, "Although common and important, rhetorical writing
is obviously not the only form of writing. Therefore, I do not think that it is necessary in order to compose." She mentions
that Bitzer references poetry another form of writing that does not use rhetorical situation for this creation and
presentation, again because of its directed audience. I disagree with Jasmine who states, "I want to add that I think a
situation is mandatory for writing. People can write about a topic they do not know about, that’s the purpose of research.
Not being able to share personal experiences and observations decrease a certain authenticity," because although most
writings stem from situations or circumstances, according to the essay, not all situations are rhetorical.
To paraphrase Bitzer a little -- Rhetoric is every communication, and every situation in which one person is convincing someone else of something is a rhetorical situation. I know this seems really broad -- but, depending on how you view human exchanges -- everyone is trying to convince someone else of something, whether that exchange is a text message or a speech for a thousand people.
ReplyDeleteI know that this sounds ridiculous -- Bitzer (and so many other posts here) talk about exigence -- the pressing need for writing. I don't think I disagree with Jasmine as Angela does, however. I think the term exigence just needs to be defined in a somewhat different way. We think of rhetoric as a construct that is seperate from other writing forms, perhaps in part because we want those other forms to be special. Indeed, they are, but they are no less rhetorical. Poems have an exigence, an audience, etc. Poems about war, for instance, are written by many poets because there is a need for documentary. Poems about family have exigence too -- the need for history and connection and memory. The exigence of love poetry -- sometimes seen as frivolous -- becomes far less so.
If every exchange is rhetorical, then every exchange has a rhetorical situation. Even private writings have an audience in the author. This could explain the catharsis reached in, say, writing a diary, or an angry letter that one never sends, or a journal that is kept in a bedroom closet once it's full of the scribblings of a life.
I feel like we, as writers, want to keep ourselves at a remove from the 'rhetorical' because many of us are artists, and want to avoid formalizing our practices. But -- so many great authors -- poets, story writers, etc. -- have written about their practices, convincing audiences of their own practices be they poetic or narrative. Even if an audience is the world at large -- that world is supposed to be convinced of something -- that there is beauty, that there is truth, etc.