As Lloyd Bitzer states in "The Rhetorical Situation", rhetoric is often formed in the response to a situation. This situation can take many forms from the extreme of a presidential response to a terrorist attack or natural disaster, to a coaches pep talk before the big game, to simply a response to a question or problem. These situations vary tremendously in magnitude however each have one thing in common; they demand a rhetorical response.
The rhetoric of a leaders response to a crisis greatly contributes to public perception of the leader. For instance, even though President George W. Bush was not the most eloquent speaker his response immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks prompted a sense of action in the American people to rally behind the cause. Conversely, though President Barack Obama has the eloquent speaking skills of a great rhetorician, his public perception greatly declined with his response to the recent Gulf oil spill. Thus we can see that rhetoric is not purely speaking, but that rhetoric is directly linked to the situation. They are inseparable.
Bitzer writes that the situation is composed of 3 main part, the exigence, the audience, and the constraints. Considering the two examples above the exigence is the instance that demands a response, specifically, the terrorist attacks and the Gulf oil spill disaster. The audience however is relatively the same for both situations as it comprises the American population. Finally, the constraints differ from situation to situation caused by the type of event and who is primarily effected. I agree with him that these three parts all serve an important purpose. The rhetorician must be able to navigate these parts of the situation effectively if the audience is to appreciate or accept the value of his words.
I like your input on the connection between rhetoric's effectiveness and the situation because the background really does determine how people feel about an issue. Even the best rhetorician can flop under the enormous pressure of situation. Furthermore, I think how a speaker is viewed by individuals in a particular situation greatly affects how rhetoric is received. If people disrespected Aristotle as a scholar at the time, his words would fall upon deaf ears. I believe it wasn't until century's later that his views came to the forefront of rhetorical study. I guess this would qualify as a rhetorical constraint, to accompany the almighty rhetorical situation.
ReplyDeleteThis shows how many different situations call for a rhetorical answer. I think that you're right about how the situation is key when it comes how people respond to a rhetorician.
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