ENG121: The Rhetorical Situation

Summary

The video script from 'English 121' discusses the rhetorical situation, also known as the writing or rhetorical triangle, highlighting the importance of considering the writer's purpose, audience, and context when composing and analyzing texts. It emphasizes the writer's goals, the motivating exigency behind writing, and the need to understand the audience's values and knowledge. The script also touches on the significance of genre in shaping a writer's approach and the reader's expectations.

Takeaways

• 📝 The rhetorical situation encompasses various components including the writer, audience, purpose, and context of a text.
• 🖋️ The writer's purpose is central to understanding the text, as it drives the composition and the writer's goals.
• 🎯 The audience's values, assumptions, and familiarity with the subject matter significantly influence the writer's choices.
• 🔍 The concept of 'exigency' is an urgent cause that prompts a writer to begin writing, which can be internal or external.
• 📚 Writing for an academic audience involves peers with similar knowledge levels who expect originality and proper citation.
• 📈 The genre or form of a text dictates its structure, style, and design, following certain conventions that shape reader expectations.
• 🤔 Writers must consider the genre's requirements and how it affects the approach to the subject matter and document design.
• 👥 Identifying the audience is crucial for tailoring the content to their knowledge, motives, and interests.
• 🔑 Understanding the writer's relationship to the audience helps clarify the text's structure and the writer's intentions.
• 🌐 The context surrounding the text can influence its composition and reception, making it an essential part of the rhetorical situation.
• 📖 Reading critically involves considering all components of the rhetorical situation to deeply understand a text's construction and impact.

Q & A

What is the rhetorical situation?

The rhetorical situation is a concept that encompasses the various components involved in a text, including the writer, the audience, the purpose, and the context, which need to be considered when reading and writing critically.

What is another term for the rhetorical situation?

The rhetorical situation can also be referred to as the writing situation or the rhetorical triangle.

What should be the first consideration when analyzing a text?

The first consideration should be the writer behind the text, who has chosen to compose it and their purpose in doing so.

What is the writer's purpose in composing a text?

The writer's purpose is to achieve a particular rhetorical aim, such as to express, inform, explore, analyze, synthesize ideas, or persuade their audience.

Why is considering the audience important when composing a text?

Considering the audience is important because it helps the writer to tailor their message to the readers' values, assumptions, knowledge, and beliefs, ensuring the text is effective in achieving its purpose.

What is meant by the term 'exigency' in the context of writing?

Exigency refers to an urgent or pressing cause that requires immediate action and is the event or occasion that prompts a writer to begin writing.

How does the audience's familiarity with the subject matter affect the writing?

The audience's familiarity with the subject matter influences the writer's choices in terms of complexity, the amount of background information provided, and the language used.

What is the difference between a general audience and a select audience?

A general audience is large and non-specific, sharing only a few qualities, while a select audience is a smaller, more specific group of people to whom the text is directly addressed.

What is an implied audience?

An implied audience is a hypothetical target based on the writer's assumptions about the knowledge and beliefs of their more general audience, such as moms or single parents.

Why is understanding the genre important when composing a text?

Understanding the genre is important because it follows certain conventions of style, structure, and approach to subject matter, which create expectations within the reader and place demands on the writer.

How can a change in audience affect the content of a piece?

A change in audience can affect the content by influencing the writer's choices in language, complexity, and the amount of background information, as well as the approach to the subject matter.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding the Rhetorical Situation

This paragraph introduces the concept of the rhetorical situation, also known as the writing situation or the rhetorical triangle. It emphasizes the importance of considering the writer, audience, and context when reading and analyzing texts. The writer's purpose, the audience's characteristics, and the text's form or genre are highlighted as crucial elements that influence the composition and reception of a text. The paragraph also discusses the writer's motivations, including internal and external exigencies, and the need to understand the audience's values, knowledge, and beliefs to effectively communicate.

05:00

📖 Analyzing Audience and Genre

The second paragraph delves into the analysis of audience and genre in writing. It stresses the need to understand the audience's knowledge, motives, and relationship with the subject matter when composing a text. The paragraph discusses different types of audiences, including general, select, single, implied, and academic audiences, and how they can affect the content and approach of writing. Additionally, the concept of genre is explored, explaining how it sets expectations and demands on writers regarding style, structure, and document design. The importance of aligning with genre conventions while also considering the unique requirements of the rhetorical situation is highlighted.

Keywords

💡Rhetorical Situation

The 'rhetorical situation' is a concept that encompasses the various elements that influence a piece of writing, including the writer, the audience, and the context. It is central to the video's theme as it provides a framework for understanding how texts are composed and received. The script mentions it in relation to the 'rhetorical triangle,' emphasizing its importance in both reading and writing processes.

💡Writer

The 'writer' is a key component of the rhetorical situation, representing the individual who creates the text. The video discusses the writer's purpose and the motivations behind composing the text, such as achieving a rhetorical aim or responding to an exigency. The script uses the writer as an example to illustrate how understanding the creator's intent can help in critically analyzing a text.

💡Audience

The 'audience' refers to the readers or viewers for whom a text is intended. The script highlights the importance of considering the audience's values, assumptions, and knowledge when composing a text. It also discusses different types of audiences, such as general, select, and single audiences, and the impact of audience knowledge and beliefs on a writer's choices.

💡Exigency

In the context of the video, 'exigency' is defined as an urgent or pressing cause that prompts a writer to begin writing. It can be internal, driven by the writer's own desires, or external, such as obligations from a syllabus. The script uses the concept of exigency to explain the motivating factors behind writing and how it can influence the content and form of a text.

💡Purpose

The 'purpose' of a text is the writer's intended goal or aim in creating it. The video script discusses how understanding the purpose can help in structuring and developing a text. It mentions various purposes such as expressing, informing, exploring, analyzing, synthesizing ideas, and persuading the audience, which are all relevant to the main theme of the video.

💡Genre

The term 'genre' in the script refers to categories of writing forms that follow certain conventions. It is important because it sets expectations for both the reader and the writer, influencing the structure, style, and design of the document. The video mentions different genre types, such as personal, academic, and professional texts, and how they relate to the rhetorical situation.

💡Structure

The 'structure' of a text pertains to its organization and the arrangement of its parts. The script mentions that the genre of a text places specific demands on writers, including its structure. Understanding the structure is crucial for both the writer in crafting the text and the reader in interpreting it.

💡Style

'Style' in the script refers to the way in which a text is written, including the use of language, tone, and presentation. It is influenced by the genre and the audience, and it plays a significant role in how a text communicates its message and engages its readers.

💡Document Design

'Document design' is the visual and physical layout of a text, which includes elements like headings, fonts, and spacing. The script discusses how document design is part of the genre conventions and can affect the reader's experience and interpretation of the text.

💡Rhetorical Aim

A 'rhetorical aim' is the objective that a writer seeks to achieve through their text, such as persuading, informing, or reflecting on an issue. The script uses this term to explain the writer's motivation and the intended effect of the text on the audience.

💡Critical Reading

'Critical reading' is the process of deeply analyzing a text, considering its components such as the writer's purpose, the audience, and the context. The video script emphasizes the importance of critical reading in understanding the full implications and nuances of a text.

Highlights

The rhetorical situation is also known as the writing situation or the rhetorical triangle, representing the components of a text to consider when reading critically.

Consider the writer behind the text, their purpose, and the goals they aim to achieve through the text.

The audience of the text is crucial, as it influences the writer's approach and the text's reception.

The form or genre of the text is important for understanding its construction and the writer's intentions.

Context surrounding the text can influence its composition and the audience's reception.

Understanding the writer's goals helps in clarifying their relationship with the audience and the text's structure.

Exigency, an urgent cause, is what prompts a writer to begin composing a text.

For this course, students write out of external exigency due to syllabus and grading requirements.

Writers also compose texts due to an internal desire to address a rhetorical aim or an external obligation.

Identifying the audience accurately is essential for making writing choices and tailoring the text to their knowledge and beliefs.

Different types of audiences include general, select, single, and implied audiences, each requiring different assumptions and approaches.

Academic writing often targets an academic audience, which shares a similar level of knowledge and expectations with the writer.

The genre of a text sets expectations and places demands on the writer, even when conventions are deviated from.

Examples of genre types include personal, academic, pop culture, civic, professional, and literary texts.

When reading a text critically, consider the components of the rhetorical situation for a deeper understanding.

Transcripts

English 121 the rhetorical situation

from the Allen and baking guide pages 2

through 21 this is the rhetorical

situation you may have also heard it

called the writing situation or the

rhetorical triangle this is just a

visual way of representing the various

components that go into a text and that

need to be considered when you are

reading both closely and critically to

begin always consider the writer behind

the text who has chosen to compose the

text and then from there ask why what

was the writers purpose that they were

trying to achieve in composing the text

also consider the audience who is the

text geared toward and with whom is the

writer trying to achieve their goals

also consider the form or genre that the

text takes how is the text constructed

and finally what is going on in the

context surrounding the text that might

somehow influence the way it is composed

by the writer or received by the

audience always consider the purpose of

a text writers compose texts out of the

desire to achieve a particular

rhetorical aim ask yourself what am I

trying to accomplish with a text or what

was this writer trying to accomplish

what does the writer want the readers to

believe see or do texts are written

because their authors want to express to

inform to explore to analyze and

synthesize ideas to persuade their

audience to reflect on an issue and many

more different purposes understanding

the writer's goals can help you

understand the different ways that texts

are structured and developed and can

help you clarify the writer's

relationship to the audience also always

consider the motivations that a writer

has writer

composed texts because of a motivating

occasion or exigency that gets them

going exigency is an urgent or pressing

cause that requires immediate action

rhetorician x' use the term to describe

the event or occasion that causes a

writer to begin writing exigency can be

internal as when the writer feels some

stimulation or desire to address a

rhetorical aim within him or herself or

it can be external as when a writer is

for some reason obligated or promoted to

pursue a rhetorical aim for this course

you'll be writing out of external

exigency because the syllabus and

grading requirements obligate you to do

so however ideally you will also write

because you have become engaged with an

intellectual problem and want to say

something significant about it in

addition to purpose always consider the

audience of a text writers ask questions

of their audience when they sit down to

compose a text including what are my

readers values and assumptions what do

they already know or believe about my

subject and how much do they care about

it it's very important than to

accurately identify your audience what

you know about your readers including

their familiarity with your subject

matter there are reasons for reading

their closeness to you their values and

beliefs effects most of the choices you

make as a writer you must be sure of who

your audience is before you can begin to

write sometimes you will be writing for

a very general audience this is a large

non specific audience that shares just a

few qualities and comments such as the

entire United States because you can't

account for everyone in such a broad

group you'll need to make some

assumptions about their knowledge and

beliefs for example this could be a

popular audience or an academic audience

sometimes you'll be writing for a select

audience which is a small more narrow

group of people to whom a text is

addressed for example this could be a

Board of Trustees or a Neighborhood

Association and sometimes you'll be

writing for just a single audience which

is one person to whom a text is

addressed for example this could be your

professor there are also some types of

audience

that are a little bit more difficult to

identify you might have an implied

audience which is merely a stable target

based on your own assumptions about the

knowledge and beliefs of your more

general audience for example you might

assume that you're writing for moms or

other single parents in the United

States you also might have an academic

audience the most common general

audience is in academic writing is an

academic audience you want to think of

this audience as student peers who have

approximately the same level of

knowledge and expertise in the field as

you do who are engaged by the question

that you're addressing who want to read

your writing and be surprised in some

way and who maintain the same standards

of citation and originality as you and

your instructors finally once you know

who your audience is

you must analyze or make judgments about

their knowledge of the issue at hand

their motive motives are reading their

relationship to the subject matter and

their general values interests attitudes

and beliefs consider how a change in

audience can affect the content of a

piece if you're writing for example for

your friend versus if you're writing for

a professor also consider the genre

writers ask questions of their form when

they sit down to compose a text

including what kind of document am i

writing and what are its requirements

for structure style and document design

the term genre refers to categories of

writing forms that follow certain

conventions of style structure approach

to subject matter and document design

the genre of a text creates strong

expectations within the reader and

places specific demands on writers even

when writers deviate from convention

they tend to do so in a conventional way

you can see many examples of genre types

including personal writing academic

writing pop culture texts civic or

democratic texts professional texts and

even literary texts outlined in Chapter

one of the Allen and baking guide always

consider these components of the

rhetorical situation when reading a text

closely and critically