Rhetorical Situation
Rhetorical situation pertains to the information surrounding a form of communication. For our class, we will consider the rhetorical situation in the pieces we read, as well as the pieces we write. Rhetorical situation includes how a single person attempts to use communication to persuade, inform, or engage at least one other person.
Rhetorical situation It has several components, including Topic, Angle, and Purpose, as well as
Readers. Writers consider each of these when writing a piece, and we will not only analyze the rhetorical situation of our readings, but will apply it to what we write in class.
Rhetorical situation is something you can apply to all of your papers, in all of your classes—and, outside of academia, you can apply it to any interaction you have with others. It is in every form of media, from films to newspapers, tv shows, all the way to advertisements, radio, and music.
When a writer uses rhetoric, it can be to evoke a range of meanings, from an emotional response to enlightenment, or understanding and comprehension of a topic.
Topic: the focus of the paper
Angle: the writer’s perspective or spin on a subject
Purpose: why the writer wrote the piece—or, in other words, the writer’s thesis.
Readers: the projected audience.
Audiences can be as broad as a general audience—such as a cable television audience, and can narrow down from there: most people outside of ABQ probably don’t read The
Albuquerque Journal. On the same note, an even