Journal Entry 6-"The Rhetorical Situation"

1. Bitzer causes quite the confusion amongst readers and writers when he brings up the phrase “rhetorical situation” because they tend to misinterpret the word “situation” in the phrase. Bitzer explains that he understands that “situation” is not a term used when it comes to the use of rhetorical theory. He doesn’t mean “situation” as in a moment or period in time. He mentions how no major theorist has come about to treat the rhetorical situation as a distinct subject, but ignore it.

2. Bitzer uses the phrase to extract the nature of the contexts in which the speakers or writers use to create rhetorical discourse. He went on to give examples of questions that would be answered when dealing with rhetorical situations like, “How should they be described? What are their characteristics? Why and how do they result in the creation of rhetoric?” He also mentions how he hopes to establish it as a controlling and fundamental concern of rhetorical theory.

3. Exigence is defined in the dictionary as urgency, or a case or situation that demands prompt action. Bitzer defines exigence as “an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be done, a thing which is other than it should be”. It was then explained the difference between an ordinary exigence and one that occurs in writing when said, “an exigence is rhetorical when it is capable of positive modification and when positive modification requires discourse or can be assisted by discourse”. An example of exigence that can be used for someone to respond to in writing is the new financial plan that President Obama is trying to put into effect and how it will help our slowing economy to finally revive itself to its fullest potential.