Blog Post #8

Bitzers explains that there are three main components of rhetorical situation, they are exigency, audience, and constraints.

So Bitzer explains that exigence is a reason or the urgency of something to be done. Although he explains that exigence is not always rhetorical, he makes it clear that only exigences that can be modified can be considered to be rhetorical. In other words only exigence capable of positive modification and when this positive modification can be assisted by discourse is when exigence can be considered rhetorical. The in-text example that Bitzer uses is the example of air pollution, because the reduction of air pollution is brought on by discourse producing public awareness and action.

The second constituent of his rhetorical situation is audience. He describes audience as people able to be influenced and able to receive knowledge. So since rhetoric produces change by the influence that it has on people (since people act as mediators) it is obvious that an audience is necessary for rhetoric. He uses the example of scientists and poets that do not require an audience in order to produce their end.

The last constituent of rhetoric is constraints which are persons, events, objects, and relations. These are parts of the rhetorical situation because they have the power to limit or constrain decisions and actions needed to modify exigence. Bitzer explains that there are two main classes of constrains, ones which are operative and those that originate by the rhetor.