Key Items

Rhetorical Situation

What is rhetoric

Rhetoric = any communication used to modify the perspectives of others.
Aristotle: rhetoric is “an ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion” (Aristotle Rhetoric I.1.2, Kennedy 37)

What is rhetorical situation

The circumstances in which you communicate to persuade others.

---

Author and Audience

Author

Definition:

one who

• communicates
• create medium to communicate

Check out: Barthes, Roland. "The Death of the Author"
Foucault, Michel. "What Is an Author"

Audience

Definition

one who

• receives communication
• consumes communicative media

Intended readers

Who do you write for? Who do you have in mind when you write it?

Background of author and audience

• Elements including
  • age
  • gender
  • geographic location
  • ethnicity
  • cultural experiences
  • religious experiences
  • social standing
  • personal wealth
  • sexuality
  • political beliefs
  • parents
  • peers
  • level of education
  • personal experience
• Background influences:
  • authors'
    • World view: what is the world
    • assumptions made about her readers: who is her readers?
    • what and how they communicate
  • readers'
    • Understanding of the media

---

Genre and Medium

Genre definition: form of your writing.
Examples:

• Literary
  • Fiction
    • Short stories
    • Novels
    • Plays
  • Non-fiction
    • Memoir
    • Journalism
• Business
  • Memos
  • Letters
  • Social media posts
• Academic
  • Research papers
  • Essays

Medium definition: the way in which a piece of writing is delivered.

• How would your reader read it: online or physical?
• If online: where would they read it?
• If physical: in which form would they read it in?

Tone and Purpose

Stance and Language