Blog posts are free and open; their language is casual. I expect to see four things in your posts: (1) that you read the piece; (2) that you can make connections to yourself as a writer and the class; (3) that you understand the genre conventions of a blog; and (4) that I can begin to see who you are as a writer—through your voice, style and language choices.
**Comment back to this post, do NOT create a new 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).
According to Bitzer, what is rhetoric? What is a rhetorical situation? Why are both important in the understanding of how to write? What do you believe comes first—the writing or the rhetorical situation? Do you believe all writing needs a rhetorical situation in order to write? Why or Why not? Connect rhetorical situation to this class: what connection do you see?
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 rhetoric. You cite this person in your response and note why you are citing this person. Don't forget to do this as it is part of the assignment.
Due: Thursday, March 29, 2012 by class time.
Bitzer defines rhetoric as “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 Bitzer, rhetoric is “pragmatic” in that it is created for accomplishing a specific task, and is not created just for the sake of writing. This is different, however, from the rhetorical situation. Bitzer says that the rhetorical situation as that which “calls the [rhetorical] discourse into existence.” This essentially means that the rhetorical situation is all people, places, ideas, etc. that creates an exigence that can be solved through the use of discourse. While the definitions of the two terms are different, the two terms are also very closely related and yield great insight into the understanding of how to write. Rhetoric is important is important because it is the reason we are writing. It gives us a purpose for our writing and allows it to accomplish a task in the world. The rhetorical situation is equally important as it addresses the condition we are writing into, as well as the exigence, which we are writing to correct. Exigence is essentially the problem you are writing to correct and thus rhetorical situation is important because it is the reason we are writing.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the rhetorical situation has to come first if one is writing a rhetorical piece. The inspiration and subject matter of the writing will come from the events, culture, and people of the time period that the piece is being written. It would not have been possible for Martin Luther King Jr. to write his famous “I Have a Dream” speech without the context of the civil rights movement backing him. Also, he would have had no need to write this speech, as it would not have accomplished anything if there weren’t discrepancies in the rights of blacks at the time. One of the main components of rhetoric is that it urges people to act against an exigence. If there is not an exigence to begin with, there is no reason, and no real way, to write a rhetorical piece.
While it is necessary for rhetoric to have a rhetorical situation, not all writing needs to have a rhetorical situation. There are many times where writing does not need to accomplish a specific goal or erase an exigence. Rather, writing can often be done purely for reading pleasure or informative purposes and does not have to have a rhetorical situation.
It is obvious that the rhetorical situation will be important in this class. We will be writing a lot of pieces that deal with specific exigences and have specific situations in which we are writing them. When we know what the situation we are writing into is, we will be better equipped to accomplish all that we want in the piece.
Bitzer says that the rhetorical situation is “the context in which speakers or writers create rhetorical discourse.” So the rhetorical situation is not the actual rhetoric, or discourse being spoken, but the situation which called the rhetoric into existence. Both rhetoric and the rhetorical situation are crucial in writing any sort of persuasive writing. Rhetoric is the style and method that one must use in order to convey or persuade a certain point. The rhetorical situation is the reasoning behind the rhetoric; it is why the rhetoric is being written. Rhetoric cannot exist without the rhetorical situation in the same way that a solution to a problem cannot exist without the problem.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Billy’s theory that the rhetorical situation must come before the writing. Without a reason to write a rhetorical piece, the piece is not actually rhetorical. Bitzer makes this point clear when she talks of a person writing fictional eulogies. The eulogies may invoke emotion or a response from the readers or listeners, but as long as they are about fictional characters, they are not rhetorical. However, if one of the eulogies is about a real person, the eulogy can then be considered rhetorical. A person cannot simply set out to write rhetoric about anything. To be considered rhetoric, their writing must address an exigence, or problem, that needs to be modified. In this way pieces that were considered rhetoric at one time may not necessarily be considered rhetoric in today’s time. For example, a piece about women’s suffrage in America definitely would have been considered rhetoric in the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s. However if the same piece were published today, it would not be considered rhetoric since women now have the right to vote. Since women’s rights do not comprise a rhetorical situation in today’s society, the piece would not fit the classifications of rhetoric.
Again I agree with Billy in believing that not all writing needs to stem from a rhetorical situation. Some writers may choose to write about something purely because they wish to write about it; they are not specifically trying to provoke a certain response from their readers. However, even if a writer does not choose to write rhetorically, one of the readers may interpret the writing rhetorically. There are also writers that write of fictional characters and situations that can be related to real life scenarios. As soon as the fictional world is comparable to the actual world, the rhetorical situation is able to exist. This is seen in books such as To Kill a Mockingbird. Although the story is a fictional one, it is related closely enough to the prejudice and discrimination that existed at the time to be considered rhetorical.
I believe that rhetorical situation will play a huge role in this class because without a rhetorical reason to write we would be writing purely for enjoyment, not for academia. By learning to write rhetorically, we will better be able to develop our own opinions and ideas and share them with others.
According to Bitzer, rhetoric is described as “situational”. He states that “virtually no utterance is fully intelligible unless meaning context and utterance are understood; this is true of rhetorical and non-rhetorical discourse.” Bitzer emphasizes the fact that rhetorical discourse can only occur when there is a rhetorical situation to prompt such discourse. He regards rhetorical situation as a context of “persons, events, objects, relations, and an exigence which strongly invites utterance” and goes on to explain how some of the most famous speeches throughout history were prompted by important rhetorical situations. However, Bitzer warns that oftentimes a rhetorical situation only has a certain amount of time to be relevant enough to cause rhetorical discourse to be created. For instance, the Gettysburg Address is a very important speech when seen in the context of the Civil War; the occurrences leading up to the writing of the Address gives the speech its wider rhetorical and historical meaning. If the historical context of the Address is stripped away, we are left with what Bitzer calls “a discourse which does not ‘fit’ any rhetorical situation, it becomes… without rhetorical significance”. In effect, both rhetorical discourse and rhetorical situation are interdependent on each other to lend to the deeper meaning shared between them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that both the writing and the rhetorical situation can come first, depending on the circumstances. Most often, the rhetorical situation comes first, but occasionally a work is produced that becomes significant only after a rhetorical situation sheds new light on it. However, this is not to say that all writing needs a rhetorical situation – far from it. Quite a few works do not respond to any rhetorical situation at all. This non-attachment to any rhetorical situation is often seen in fictional writings where the internal logic of the story at hand provides the platform for the developments in said story without major influence from the real world.
This class is about vampires, their legends, and their permanence in the cultures of the world. Many vampire legends originate from a few definable sources and can trace their roots to similar rhetorical situations. The vampire mythos first originated in Eastern Asia, but soon moved westward with the trading of cultures and stories. While the rhetorical situation that inspired the vampire myths has since faded into the annals of history, the rhetorical discourse and significance continues on, changing along with the values and beliefs of society.
Billy has a good point in saying that rhetorical situation has to come first if a rhetorical piece has been written and I believe this is true most of the time. However, it is possible, though very unlikely, that a story or speech could be written before a rhetorical situation prompting the publishing of said work. Rhetoric discourse itself is a response to some situational event, but said response has the ability to be written before the situation presents itself. These writings are often called predictions and often are able to adapt and expand to fit the rhetorical needs of many different situations due to different people interpreting the writings in different ways.
Bitzer distinguishes between persuasion and rhetoric in his article, “The Rhetorical Situation”. He believes persuasion “lacks philosophical warrant as a practical discipline.” On the other hand, Bitzer describes rhetoric as a means for change through “the mediation of thought and action”. According to Bitzer, rhetoric is intentional communication that inspires an audience to fix a social imperfection (exigence). Bitzer believes that rhetoric must revolve around a real issue; fiction, although it may have the structure of rhetorical literature, does not address a real world problem. In addition, poetry and scientific discourse do not require rhetorical audiences. Therefore, they are not rhetorical in nature. The rhetorical situation, on the other hand, provides the context for writing rhetoric. Bitzer describes the rhetorical situation as “the situation that calls the discourse in action.” It comprises of the conditions that lead to the creation of rhetoric. Rhetoric is the result of the rhetorical situation. Although the end result of the process is the rhetoric discourse, the rhetorical situation provides the optimal conditions for what Bitzer describes as “utterances”, which can come in the form of speeches, novels, articles, or any other forms of communication. Writing is the result of both rhetoric and the rhetorical situation coming together. Rhetoric cannot exist without the presence of the rhetorical situation.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the rhetorical situation must come before the rhetoric. The rhetorical situation first provides the conditions necessary for the creation of rhetoric. Bitzer states “a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind.” Similarly, he believes that “rhetoric discourse obtains its character-as-rhetorical form the situation which generates it.” In the same way, an answer to a question cannot exist without the question itself. Therefore, the situation that prompts a response comes before the response; a rhetorical situation is necessary before rhetoric can be created.
I disagree with Zach; I believe that a rhetorical situation is essential for rhetoric. Even with the writings that Zach describes, certain conditions must be apparent in order to prompt an individual to form these said prediction discourses. Although I agree with the fact that writings can inspire new situations to arise, I believe that a preliminary rhetorical situation is necessary even for these prediction discourses.
However, I do agree that not all writing needs an initial rhetorical situation. For example, poetry and scientific literature do not require a rhetorical situation. I agree with Billy that writing for enjoyment does not include a exigence or audience component.
This class will analyze different rhetorical pieces. I believe it will be essential to understand the context that these pieces were written in. Therefore, understanding how the rhetorical situation plays a role in the creation of rhetoric will be directly applicable to this class, especially since some of the literary pieces we will be reading address real world instances of vampires. In addition, I believe it will be crucial to distinguish between the origins of fiction and nonfiction in this class; the difference between these two genres lies in the presence of a rhetorical situation.
Bitzer says that rhetoric is pragmatic, meaning that it is used to “produce action or change in the world; it performs some task” (4). It is brought about for a specific reason. Also, rhetoric is persuasive, because it brings about a type of discourse where the audience brings about change as the audience becomes more engaged. Therefore, rhetoric brings about discourse, and there can be many different kinds of discourse. Since discourse is basically the art of communication, and rhetoric is a way to bring about discourse, then rhetoric and discourse are tied that way. In terms of the rhetorical situation, Bitzer states that the rhetorical situation is “the context in which speakers or writers create rhetorical discourse” (1). Also, he says that “the presence of rhetorical discourse obviously indicates the presence of a rhetorical situation” (2). However, it gets more complicated because he says that while the presence of rhetorical discourse means that there exists a rhetorical situation, it does not work the other way around – a rhetorical situation does not necessarily mean that there is rhetorical discourse. Also, Bitzer argues that the rhetorical situation calls for a specific kind of discourse, not the other way around, and “a particular discourse comes into existence because of some specific condition or situation which invites utterance” (4). There is a certain time and place for certain types of discourse to come about. Exigence invites the utterance that Bitzer is talking about. Therefore, when discourse does come about, it is in response to a specific situation that invited it, or some kind of exigence. The exigence, however, needs to be rhetorical.
ReplyDeleteOne of the questions asks which comes first, writing or the rhetorical situation. I believe that if we use Bitzer’s logic, then the rhetorical situation comes first, because it invites the discourse, the rhetoric, the writing. Yes, I believe that writing needs a rhetorical situation, just like Billy and Katherine said. In order to create rhetoric, the rhetorical situation needs to be present. For example, a president makes a speech in response to some issue that is present. The issue that needs to be fixed is the rhetorical situation. Billy also made a great point about MLK and the civil rights movement, and I completely agree with his argument.
I also agree with Abhi (sp?, sorry!) when he says that “it will be essential to understand the context that these pieces were written in.” Each piece that we will read or learn about had a specific rhetorical situation that called it into existence. If we can understand that rhetorical situation, perhaps we will be able to understand the rhetoric better. We also have a specific rhetorical situation here in the class as well. Our rhetorical situation calls for our rhetoric – the writings or projects that we create are in response to our class’s rhetorical situation. Bitzer argues that each rhetorical situation needs three things: exigence, an audience, and a set of constraints. Our rhetorical situation has an exigence; we have this writing/research class about vampires which is “inviting utterance” about the topic. It calls for rhetoric (our discussions, writings, projects, etc). We also have an audience, obviously, which is the class and the professor. Lastly, we have a set of constraints “which is made up of persons, events, and relations which are parts of the situation because they have the power to constrain decision and action needed to modify the exigence” (8). For example, we have the documents of Dracula and Interview with the Vampire that will limit our discussion to an extent. As we learn more about vampires, we will have traditions and images that will constrain or rhetoric as well.
PS, sorry this is a little over 500 words.
According to Bitzer, rhetoric is a medium by which the rhetor can attempt to enact change. Subsequently, the rhetorical situation is a collection of circumstances that present “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, the rhetorical situation is the question that calls for an answer in the form of rhetorical discourse.
ReplyDeleteBoth rhetoric and rhetorical situation are important in the understanding of writing because they inform what one writes and how they write it. One condition of the rhetorical situation is that it outlines how one might approach the situation rhetorically. The same way that any good question describes what the asker is looking for in the answer. The majority of the writing we do as college students, and will likely do in your class, is geared towards answering a specific question. The way we write in response to the given question is informed by the nature of the question. In this sense, the rhetorical situation informs how we write by setting up implicit guidelines for our writing For example, one’s language in a research paper would be different than their language in an article intended for the school newspaper because, while they are both intended to inform, entertaining the reader is more of a priority when writing an article for the school newspaper.
When writing is intended to function as rhetorical discourse and not just communication the rhetorical situation, by definition, comes first because an answer can’t be given to a question that hasn’t been asked. However, that doesn’t mean that all writing is preceded by a rhetorical situation. Writing doesn’t have to be an attempt to enact change, overcome and obstacle or answer a given question because writing isn’t always rhetorical discourse. I agree with Katherine’s analysis and application of Bitzer’s fake eulogy example, which is that a eulogy being written for someone who hasn’t died is a piece of writing that wasn’t composed as a response to anything, but instead just writing for the sake of writing. I disagree with Zach’s suggestion that predictive writing can be classified as rhetorical discourse if the prediction comes true. One of Bitzer’s defining characteristics for a rhetorical situation is that the “situation must somehow prescribe the response which fits,” meaning that the rhetorical situation must, by definition, be a precursor to the rhetorical discourse.
Most, if not all, of the writing we do in class will be informed by vampires. In this sense, vampires and the questions surrounding vampires will function as the rhetorical situation for the class because our writing will be tailored to answer questions specific question about a specific subject matter. The obstacle that our rhetorical discourse will be overcoming is our own misconceptions or lack of understanding with respect to vampires.
Before reading this piece, I never paid much attention to the “rhetorical situation” when I read a piece. The same can be said for many of the speeches that I have heard throughout my life. After reading Blitzer’s piece on the rhetorical situation, I can deduce that either the rhetor was really skilled at her craft, or I was not really paying attention. I tend to think it is a mixture of the latter and the former. Understanding Blitzer’s rather explicit definitions of rhetoric and the rhetorical situational, it is now virtually impossible to ignore either from this point on. Blitzer defines rhetoric as “a mode of altering reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the blah blah blah….”. Conversely, Blitzer offers a simpler definition that I think sums up his point better: “The verbal responses to the demands imposed by the situation.” In my opinion, that is much more comprehensive definition and not nearly as wordy. Since I was so callous with Blitzer’s definition of rhetoric (I am often not very good at hiding disdain, as I am sure you can tell), I will treat his definition of rhetorical situation with a bit more reverence: “Rhetorical situation may be defined as 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.” Pause for effect.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these ideas are important and they are important for different reasons. Knowing what to write or pontificate is just as important as when to write or pontificate it. These are ideas that I think that we as readers all understand but don’t actively think about. Discourse on the voting blunder in Florida during the 2000 Presidential elections would have been considered extremely insulting and disrespectful on the morning of September 12, 2001. I am sure if you ask a sociologist or a linguistics expert which came first they probably would say that rhetorical situation came before rhetoric. Early humans (if you can call them that) could aptly relay ideas to one another with nothing more than grunts. After a long day on the hunt, I am sure when Uhbar the caveman came home and his wife motioned that she was cold he probably built a fire, he didn’t give her a bloody leg of sabre-tooth tiger. Well, maybe he did, but that’s a different topic! I digress. I am having a hard time imagining a situation in which a rhetorical situation is not necessary for writing. Otherwise, one would be writing about nothing. However, I will concede that just because I can’t think of a situation where a rhetorical situation is not required, there still may be examples that exhibit this situation. In the case of this class, the rhetorical situation will always surround vampires.
I disagree with Billy because he was the first to post and didn’t have to comment on anyone else’s post! Shame on you Billy!! Seriously, I disagree with you on your point about MLK’s speech. I think that speech could have been written as a simply a poem and it still would have been just as profound. Case in point, Maya Angelou’s “I know why the caged bird sings”.
Abi: you make strong argument but I have to disagree with you. A long time ago the writer D.H. Lawrence did some paintings that were considered “obscene”. To this day those 13 paintings are still banned from entering Great Britain. Nothing caused him to do those paintings but the discourse and rhetorical situations that ensued are still discussed to this day.
According to Bitzer, The rhetorical situation is the cause, which requires discourse, whereas the actual argument is rhetoric. The author states that a rhetorical situation does not have to exist in order for there to be rhetorical discourse. It is not against some all-powerful law of writing to simply write for fun. The writing police will not come and throw you in the state penitentiary for doing so. You can write a poem about a flower, that may have absolutely no relevance at all to anyone except for you without a giant anvil falling out of nowhere and striking you dead on the spot. In this section, Bitzer's main point is simply that a rhetorical situation will cause rhetorical content to be created. Apparently, it is impossible to for discourse to create a rhetorical situation. However, I disagree with this statement, because it severely limits what a rhetorical situation can entail. Later in the piece, Bitzer clarifies what rhetoric actually is. It is quite different than mere persuasion, because it must be powerful enough to bend reality by provoking thought strong enough to create actual change. Can a situation not be made relevant by a discourse strong enough to create change-inducing action? Of course, I am certain that it's significantly easier to produce relevant discourse if in fact the situation which precedes the discourse is already relevant, but that's not to say it can't be done without a rhetorical situation. Bitzer would say that a poem about a flower would not be rhetoric because there was no rhetorical situation preceding it. But, what if the the flower poem was so amazingly beautiful that it forced you to take action. Perhaps, you're excitement persuades you to frolic in a field on daisies, or maybe you decide to give a bunch of roses to your neighbor. Either way, I highly doubt that the situation preceding the poetry specifically called for a flower poem. The topic of flowers was probably not relevant before the poem was read. In this case, a rhetorical situation seems to be unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Zach when he says, “Most often, the rhetorical situation comes first, but occasionally a work is produced that becomes significant only after a rhetorical situation sheds new light on it.” A rhetorical situation precedes discourse the vast majority of the time, however I believe discourse, if powerful enough, can create a situation. In addition, I agree with Zach that discourse may become relevant at a later time if a rhetorical situation relating to the previously created discourse presents itself.
Steph also brings up a very important point when she talks about Bitzer's statement that rhetoric must be pragmatic. This is the key to understanding the difference between simple persuasion and rhetoric. Rhetors must create a work of art that is strong enough to inspire change, to induce action. In this sense, simple persuasion isn't very important. Persuasion can stimulate interesting and entertaining thought, but the problem is that thought is not action, and therefore unimportant in terms of altering reality. If the thought is strong enough to induce action, then it evolves into rhetoric.
When Bram Stroker wrote Dracula, vampirism was not nearly as popular as it is now. It was simply a work of fiction that wasn't necessarily created due to a rhetorical situation, but the novel generated a extraordinary level of success, and as a result countless other authors were driven to write novels dealing with vampires.
Lyod F. Bitzer defines rhetoric as a, “mode of alternating reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of though and action.” Rhetoric is the choices and decisions the writer makes to convey their message effectively through diction, syntax, organization, point of view, and tone.
ReplyDeleteThe rhetorical situation then creates a connection between the content, audience, and rhetoric. It consists of exigence, audience, and constraints. Beyond this it is the way the writer is interacting with the reader. By establishing certain characters, time periods, and genres the writer or speaker is hoping to ensure a desired reaction from the audience. For example the exigences that had to be explained after the assassination of JFK required remedies by “news reports, explanations, [and] eulogies” for the public audience needing reassurance. The constraints were the immediate need for a response following the assassination.
Rhetorical situation is the results and connection the speaker or writer hopes to gain, while rhetoric is the way we approach and syntax this information. I agree with Abhinav Gupta’s idea that “The rhetorical situation first provides the conditions necessary for the creation of rhetoric.” The rhetoric comes out for the writer or speaker desire to articulate their thoughts and their desire to influence, continue, or remedy social order.
I disagree with Bitzer and my fellow students such as Billy Wallace’s stance that “While it is necessary for rhetoric to have a rhetorical situation, not all writing needs to have a rhetorical situation.” I believe that for writing to be understood the reader must find some connection to it, even if that means having a familiarity to a word or phrase used. For example “That is a dangerous situation… suggest the presence of events, persons, or objects which threaten.” While not every rhetorical situation has dire “exigence,” all writing has an audience and is connected to the time and place that it is written. Bitzer states, that stories “May exhibit formal features which we consider rhetorical – such asethical and emotional appeals, and stylistic patterns… yet all remain unrhetorical.” Yet, to derive any emotion from reading a story, the reader must obtain a link with the text. I agree with Jason that I cannot think of a single piece of text that does not pertain to some rhetorical situation.
Having a rhetorical situation will be necessary in this class, as vampires are evident in our modern culture for a reason. Societies have raised the vampire to prominence because it has a connection to societal fears and desires. Our writing in this class will go beyond fictive rhetorical situation, “a situation (or in this case character) established by a story,” in order for us to link vampires to the human condition.
According to Bitzer, rhetoric is “a response to a situation of a certain kind,” which “comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself” (3). It “is a mode of altering reality” (4). Rhetoric has a purpose; it is designed to strive towards a solution to a problem. Rhetoric is meant to reach people who can enact a change in response to a problem. Rhetorical situation constitutes the conditions which bring about the rhetoric. Bitzer says that rhetorical situation is the “natural contest of persons, events, objects, relations, and exigence which strongly invites utterance” (5). Rhetorical situation is the context of a piece that invites it to be written
ReplyDeleteJust as Billy said, the rhetorical situation comes before a rhetorical piece because rhetoric must be spurred by a problem, an event, or people. Bitzer emphasizes in his piece that the rhetorical “situation is the source and ground of rhetorical activity” (6). I agree with Miles when he says that “an answer can’t be given to a question that hasn’t been asked” in reference to the relationship between rhetoric and a rhetorical situation. The definition of rhetoric, as stated earlier is a response to a situation, and therefore the situation must precede the response. An example used by Bitzer was Martin Luther King Jr.’s I have a dream speech. Had African Americans not been oppressed by the state, and had the civil rights movement never begun in the south, he never would have given that speech. There would have been no need for the now famous I Have a Dream speech and therefore it would not have been written. The rhetoric had to arise from the rhetorical situation which created it.
While rhetoric needs a rhetorical situation in order to exist, not all writing needs a rhetorical situation in order to be written. Fiction writing especially may not always be written with a specific purpose or in response to a situation as is necessary for rhetoric. I agree with Katherine’s claim however, that a rhetorical situation can exist in fiction when it mirrors the real world. I would add though that the diegetic world does not necessarily have to be similar to the world it was created in for it to have a rhetorical situation. An example of this would be 1984 by George Orwell because the book does not reflect the actual goings on of the time period but still arose from the rhetorical situation of the rise of communism and government power in the world. Because of these developments in world politics, Orwell felt compelled to write a response about the dangers of government and oppression, making it a work of fiction with a rhetorical situation.
The rhetorical situation connects to this class because of the pieces we read and the writings we create based on them. It is important to remember that many of the pieces we will read came about from a specific rhetorical situation themselves. Therefore we must understand something about the culture in order to understand the works, and inversely, we may be able to understand more about the time period of the piece by paying attention to what problems are overcome within the piece. For our own writings that we do in class, just as Miles said, the questions and misconceptions we have about vampires will be our own rhetorical situation which we will respond to in the essays assigned in this class.
According to Bitzer, “rhetorical situation may be defined as 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.” With this definition, the rhetorical situation can be seen as the birthplace of all areas of rhetoric (i.e. rhetorical discourse, exigence, and audience). The situation gives rise to a need for a fitting response in order to reach an audience that has the ability to create modification to the exigence that is present. Rhetoric in general “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.” The purpose of rhetorical writing is to persuade others to create change within a certain area. With that being said, the audience that this type of writing is directed at is not the general public. As Bitzer mentions, the audience of rhetorical writing is those who have the ability to modify the exigence. Though the thoughts and ideas conveyed may persuade a greater public audience, they are not often the target for this type of writing.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to writing in general, not all writing is rhetorical writing. In fact, rhetorical writing only pertains to a very specific category of writing in which the guidelines of rhetorical situation, exigence, discourse, and audience are met. Because of this, I disagree with Katherine when she said that only rhetorical writing strives to provoke a response from readers. Though some forms of writing are not created just to get a response from people, many forms of writing are written to specifically create a certain type of response within its audience, and yet it still cannot be considered rhetorical. I may feel the need to write about a situation that makes me angry, or excited, etc, and I want others to know about the situation and experience the same type of response as me. But, because my audience is not those who have the ability to create change or modification within the situation I am bringing up, it is not rhetorical. Also, like Billy said, the purpose of non-rhetorical writing is not just for entertainment, but for to convey information, thoughts, and ideas.
In this class, I believe the most basic (and most important) role of rhetoric will be our ability to discern between rhetorical and non-rhetorical writing in order to further analyze and understand the overall purpose of a piece of criticism, literature, or theory.
In Lloyd F. Blitzer's research paper, The Rhetorical Situation, he describes the importance of rhetorical situations. Blitzer defines rhetoric as “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.” His central thesis then argues that for this action to occur a rhetorical situation described as “a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be completely or partially removed if discourse (rhetoric), introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or actions.” It is hard to disagree with Blitzer's definitions that detail that a rhetorical situation brought about by a certain exigence is necessary for rhetorical dialogue; however, the stringent guidelines with which he creates his thesis are too confining to undoubtably include all rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteI do not disagree that a rhetorical situation must precede rhetoric. Zach's assertion that rhetoric can occur before a rhetorical situation is impossible to support for how is a problem brought to light by writing if it was never directed toward that certain exigence. It is impossible to think of a situation in which rhetoric can evolve if there is no reason for it to be created. However, the guidelines with which Blitzer constrains the rhetorical situation deny many deserving works the title of rhetoric. Throughout high school I formed a personal definition of rhetoric as a literary tool and ability to capture an audience and cause an emotional or philosophical shift in their thinking. Blitzer evinced that although “death, winter, and some natural disasters are exigences to be sure, but they are not rhetorical.” Rhetoric is something more than a tool that propels change of a tangible exigence. For example, the powerful emotional impact of Lou Gherig's farewell speech after his diagnosis with ALS. The significance of the speech was to empower the audience-- to convey that his death is not a tragedy, but a celebration of life. Even as a I read lines from his speech, “People all say that I've had a bad break. But today –- today-- today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” I am chilled by the absolute beauty and bravery that Lou Gherig portrays his life and death. Blitzer's constraints that exigence born from death does not provide a rhetorical situation because it cannot be altered by the dialogue is shallow and far too rigid of a definition. I am emotionally moved and my perception of death evolves from Gherig's dialogue derived from the rhetorical situation of his impending death. Rhetoric does not necessarily have to bring about positive societal change; the exigence, death, has no solution and only the terms with which we accept it and the emotions it evokes can be changed by rhetoric.
I agree with Haley's claim that fiction born from an exigence can be considered rhetoric. Blitzer argues that fiction, even if it is based on a current exigence or if a rhetorical situation is portrayed in the book, is not rhetoric. Many works propel change of societal problems despite the fact they are based in fantasy. However, there is a limit on rhetoric in fantasy. I struggle to place the importance of rhetoric in this class. Vampires detail no exigence and however there are works of fiction such as Anthem, or Things Fall Apart that portray an exigence in society, no vampiric novel details a worldly problem of significance. It can play on the issues of love and death, however I struggle to see how immortality and sex provide rhetoric that can seriously alter an audiences beliefs.
In order to understand The Rhetorical Situation by Bitzer it is essential to note the difference between rhetorical situation and rhetorical discourse. According to Bitzer, the “situation calls the discourse into existence.” In this way situation is the fundamental aspect of rhetorical discourse. This process and its results are rhetoric. The situation serves as the ground for rhetorical discourse to find strength. Billy gave an excellent example of this when he mentioned Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. This discourse was possible and actually demanded by the rhetorical situation of black suffrage and the civil rights movement. This example also shows how rhetoric is not only a concept, but an action. Bitzer says that a situation is only as rhetorical as it is able to invite discourse to participate with the situation and thus alter its reality. As seen with MLK, the situation invited the discourse that interacted with the very aspects allowing the discourse to exist, and thus the changed situational aspects.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King’s speech also demonstrates the necessity of some issue (exigence) for a rhetorical situation to develop. Bitzer states that “an exigence is rhetorical when it is capable of positive modification . . . which requires discourse.” Through warranted discourse MLK brought change and improvement to society. Due to the inherent nature of rhetoric it will always be persuasive like this. Eric makes a point that furthers this truth: that the rhetoric must be beyond persuasive in order to create the change it is seeking. Rhetoric uses situations and discourse as tools to achieve its desired action/result.
When writing I agree with Abhinav that the situation must come first, but I believe that this is true only as long as there is an intended specific audience to be influenced by the piece. This means that some writing, like free writing, would not need a rhetorical situation for there is no desired audience to influence, or change to cause, from rambling for pleasure. Therefore, it is not always required—it depends upon the purpose of the writing. I also agree that there are exceptions, such as poetry. Therefore, I feel that as a general rule there must be the situation in order to create rhetorical writing. Situation is a necessity in order to succeed at rhetoric in your writing. Situation creates the required constraints and defines the target audience. Since these two aspects are vital in forming a coherent and influential piece of writing, I feel that they must come first.
In this class vampires are going to have varying aspects of their character and actions. In order to fully understand the author’s intent of their character, we must be able to understand the rhetorical situation. Due to the common horror theme associated with vampires, I think that exigences will be common. The Rhetorical Situation did an excellent job of explaining exigences and now in class we will be able to identify them and recognize the author’s intended influence and change.
Lloyd F. Bitzter elucidates rhetoric as “pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself; it functions ultimately to produce action or change in the world; it performs some task.” Bitzer is alluding to the fact that rhetoric possesses the fundamental role of persuasion. Moreover, Blitzer highlights on the following point, “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.” Bitzter expounds upon the area of rhetoric by placing an importance on the prominence of discourse of a character. The audience, through the means of acting and thinking, becomes engrossed; consequently, the discourse becomes the bridge and catalyst for transforming reality.
ReplyDeleteRhetorical situation as stated by Lloyd F. 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 exigence.” Rhetorical situation comprises discourse. Discourse secures its existence as a response to a situation. Therefore, discourse has prominence in the way that it encompasses the role of an answer or solution.
Both rhetoric and rhetorical situation are vital facets in writing; both hold a significance of intertwining paths. Rhetoric is utilized as a fundamental component for constructing the rhetorical situation. Persuasion is the crux of rhetoric. Bitzer makes a point to demonstrate how rhetoric is insignificant separate from the conditions and occurrences that shaped it.The rhetorical situation has the three elements of exigence, audience, and constraints. These collaborative components interlock to fashion the rhetoric. Thus, a correlation of reciprocated support connects rhetoric and rhetorical situation.
As Bitzer mentions, “The situation controls the rhetorical response in the same sense that the question controls the answer and the problem controls the solution.” Persuasive intent from the rhetoric is not the “source and ground of rhetorical activity and of rhetorical criticism,” rather the rhetorical situation is in command. I believe writing follows a purpose and is executed after the reasoning behind it has been laid out, rhetorical situation, followed by the writing. Furthermore, I do believe all writing needs a rhetorical situation in order to be composed. The formulation of writing develops after the conditions and positions for doing so are identified. Writing is fashioned and molded because a meaning and urgency, whether aware and deliberate or inadvertent, is construed in preliminary rhetorical situation.
The rhetorical situation that rose when President Kennedy was assassinated yielded a specific discourse. President Kennedy’s compelling character and status in the country lead to the rhetoric, appropriate and distinguishable to the circumstances, such as eulogies and speeches. Similarly, the course topic of vampirism is an extensive topic. Once a rhetorical situation arises in the form of a designated vampire aspect, one can formulate the suitable reaction. As Bitzer states, “A characteristic of rhetorical situation is that it invites a fitting response, a response that fits the situation.” I believe the investigations and evaluations of the rhetoric and rhetorical situations of author’s creations, centered upon vampirism, will be a critical portion of learning.
I disagree with Zach’s take on the irrelevance of rhetorical situation. In my mind, the rhetorical situation, no matter the surrounding reasoning for writing, is always essential. In order for an individual to write in the first place, an instigated occurrence would have stimulated the formation of the discourse. Writing has the ability to provoke action and change; however, a prefatory rhetorical situation is the initial promoter of a rhetorical dialogue formation.