1. The Rhetorical Situation

2. “At its most basic, communication is the set of methods whereby humans attempt to identify with each other” (“The Rhetorical Situation”).

3. What is Rhetoric? The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing When humans communicate with other humans, they seek to produce any number of responses, such as…. -understanding -emotional reaction -agreement -enlightenment -action

4. Elements of a Rhetorical Situation Author Audience Text Context An essay, a commercial, a conversation, and a billboard are each an example of a rhetorical situation.

5. What is the Rhetorical Situation?

6. Author An author can be a person or a group of people Author’s purpose (instruct, persuade, inform, entertain, educate, startle, excite, sadden, enlighten, punish, console…) Author’s attitude (flippant, serious, sarcastic…) Author’s background (age, personal experience, gender, location, ethnicity, political beliefs, parents, peers, education…)

7. Audience Audience’s purpose Audience’s attitude Audience’s background

8. Text “In terms of a rhetorical situation, text means any form of communication that humans create. Whenever humans engage in any act of communication, there is a text that serves as the vehicle for communication” (OWL).

9. Text Medium of the text (handwritten, typed, audio, verbal, graphic…) Tools to make the text (tongue, computer, research librarian, survey…) Tools to decipher the text (eyes, ears, projector, education, background…)

10. Context The environment or setting of the author and and of the audience. The author and audience may exist in different contexts. Time Place (room, book, journal, T.V. spot) Community/Conversation

11. What is the Rhetorical Situation?

12. Works Cited ”The Rhetorical Situation.” Purdue Online Writing Lab at Purdue U, 2008. Web. 15 February 2011.