Essay on Response to Bitzers Rhetorical Situation

In The Rhetorical Situation, Lloyd F. Bitzer argues that what makes a situation rhetorical is similar to that which constitutes a moral action as he writes that, â€Å"an act is moral because it is an act performed in a situation of a certain kind; similarly, a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind†.(3) By defining the rhetorical situation in this way, Bitzer further contends that rhetoric is a means to altering reality. (4) It is through the use of discourse that one is capable of changing reality through thought and action. (4) Bitzer then elaborates upon the nature of a rhetorical situation by explaining that rhetorical discourse enters a situation when: providing a response to its state of affairs;†¦show more content†¦Although Bitzer continues in the third section of his essay, by outlining the general characteristics or features of a rhetorical situation, it is his discussion of sophistical rhetoric that is most interest ing. (11) He notes that a sophistic situation is one where a contrived exigence is, â€Å"asserted to be real... alleged constituents are due to error or ignorance,... and [it derives] from fantasy in which exigence, audience, and constraints may all be imaginary objects of a mind at play†. (11) He concludes that, â€Å"rhetoric is distinguished from the mere craft of persuasion which, although it is a legitimate object of scientific investigation, lacks philosophical warrant as a practical discipline†. (14) While Bitzer’s insights into how one may think about the way in which rhetorical discourse acts upon and therefore alters the reality of a situation, it is difficult to see his point in stating that the â€Å"mere craft of persuasion† lacks philosophical warrant as a practical discipline. The clearest reason it seems, is implied from the examples that Bitzer uses, none of which are theological or religious in nature, but rather the examples he pro vides are usually political. Although one is left to speculate as to what categories Bitzer would include in sophistical rhetoric (other than a play or novel), might theological and religious discourse be subsumed underShow MoreRelatedThe Young Woman s Christian Association1109 Words   |  5 Pagesmovement towards fighting domestic violence and homelessness will be based off Bitzer’s model, TARES test, narratives and argument, visual rhetoric, symmetrical and asymmetrical communication forms, as well as, ways to improve the organizations rhetoric. Bitzer’s Model Bitzer’s model is helpful in analyzing organizations because it helps determines who the rhetor is, the exigence, response type, fitting response, rhetorical audience, and constraints. The rhetors of the organization are the foundersRead MoreBitzers Rhetorical Model1168 Words   |  5 PagesHayes March 31, 2011 Bitzer’s â€Å"The Rhetorical Situation† â€Å"Penguin responses to climate change in the Southern Ocean† by Jaume Forcada and Philip N. Trathan (2009) was a study conducted to analyze and predict the migrating patterns of different species of penguins due to changes in climate. (p. 1618) Also, Forcada and Trathan investigate whether or not certain species of penguins possess phenotypic plasticity (the ability of an organism to change its phenotype in response to changes in the environment)Read MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr s Letter From Birmingham Jail1499 Words   |  6 Pagesand rhetorical situation. When reading critically we become acquainted with these concepts therefore become better writers ourselves. While learning about rhetorical writing and composition we have analyzed Billy Collins â€Å" Commencement Address at Choate- Rosemary Hall† , Martin Luther King Jr’s â€Å"letter from Birmingham Jail† and Lloyd Bitzer’s essay on â€Å"Rhetorical Situationâ₠¬ . In this paper I will analyze and make connections between the concepts of audience, genre and rhetorical situation in connectionRead MoreJohn Franklin D. Roosevelt s The Pearl Harbor Address Essay1542 Words   |  7 Pagestraumatic or undesirable situations produce memorable speeches which guide people into action or change attitudes. Emerson’s saying suggests the best speaking and writing rises from troubling events. The quote relates to the notion in Bitzer’s essay that true rhetorical discourse occurs when a speaker addresses an audience in response to a situation in order to induce change. An example of this in a historical context is President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address. A response to a terrible eventRead MoreRhetorical Analysis : Rhetorical Rhetoric Essay1465 Words   |  6 Pagesof good writing requires close attention to a rhetorical situation, genre, and an audience. Writing occurs within a rhetorical situation and is made up of a speaker, a subject, an audience, and the context (genre). Each of these criteria builds on one another to make a piece of writing. The speaker or writer can choose what form of text or genre he/she wants the audience to get out of the context. Genre and the audience make up a rhetorical situation. The genre and audience both rely on each otherRead MoreMlk Jr.’S â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail†1325 Words   |  6 Pagesjob in communicating the urgency of the situation without sounding personally impatient in his letter. His ability to create a sound argument without emotion makes his †Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† all the more provocative. However, that being said, King also does a great job of establishing pathos. Introducing his letter, King states that he is responding to claims made about his actions, showing that his letter has a direct action causing this response. He continually refers to himself as aRead MoreAnalysis Of Beyonce Knowles s The Black Essay1208 Words   |  5 PagesBlack Lives Matter is a national organization striving to rebuild the Black liberation movement; that has become vague in past years. In 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was dismissed for his crime. This movement emerged in response to the institutionalized racism within our society. Whether it s black on black crime, police brutality or any form of ferocity actions its moral spurious. The past few months there has been a growth in police brutality, resulting in the deathsRead MoreModels of Communication7544 Words   |  31 Pagesitself b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pathos, inheres in the audience c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethos, inheres in the speaker 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bitzer’s Rhetorical Situation. Lloyd Bitzer developed described the â€Å"Rhetorical Situation,† which, while not a model, identifies some of the classical components of a communication situation (â€Å"The Rhetorical Situation,† Philosophy and Rhetoric, 1 (Winter, 1968):1-15.). Bitzer defines the â€Å"rhetorical situation† as â€Å"a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence