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Questions and Answers
What is the primary purpose of rhetoric within a rhetorical situation?
What is the primary purpose of rhetoric within a rhetorical situation?
According to Blitzer, what determines whether discourse is truly rhetorical?
According to Blitzer, what determines whether discourse is truly rhetorical?
What is an "exigence" in a rhetorical situation?
What is an "exigence" in a rhetorical situation?
How can rhetoric help build solidarity within an audience?
How can rhetoric help build solidarity within an audience?
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What role do "constraints" play in rhetoric?
What role do "constraints" play in rhetoric?
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Study Notes
Rhetorical Situation
- Rhetoric is the strategic use of language to achieve specific goals, adapting to the time, place, speaker, and audience.
- Lloyd Blitzer (1968) argued rhetorical discourse responds to a situation, making it rhetorical only if it addresses the situation's needs and the situation dictates the speaker's response.
- Rhetorical situation involves people, events, objects, and relationships, presenting an exigence (problem) solvable through discourse.
Defining the Situation
- Rhetorical discourse aids the audience in interpreting situations, accepting what's unchangeable, or proposing solutions for improvement.
- Rhetoric orients the audience to the situation and helps them adapt.
Building Solidarity
- Rhetoric fosters a sense of shared identity and motivates action (e.g., voting, donating, behavior change).
Audience
- Not all groups are rhetorical audiences; only those potentially swayed by the message are.
Constraints
- Constraints limit a speaker's persuasiveness, including audience beliefs, attitudes, and speaker image.
- Successful persuasion anticipates and addresses as many constraints as possible, though not all are surmountable.
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Description
Explore the concept of rhetorical situations and how they influence discourse. This quiz covers the strategic use of language in response to specific circumstances and the role of audience and constraints in effective communication. Test your understanding of how rhetoric shapes interpersonal relationships and motivates action.