Tara Lowrey
Unit 2 Assignment 1: Chapter Review and Trace
1. What are the five elements in the rhetorical situation?
Text, Reader, Author, Constraints, and Exigency.
2. How can a reader use the rhetorical situation to analyze an argument essay? How can a viewer use the rhetorical situation to analyze an image? How can a writer use the rhetorical situation during the planning phase of writing a paper?
In an argument essay using the rhetorical situation to analyze the essay will give the exact points of the subject, define audience of the essay, while seeing the authors argument on the particular subject and their position, motives, or degree of expertise. It will keep focus on the events or circumstances that cause analysis to reactions to the situations that lead to the argument, and see the controversy or problem that needs attention in the first place. In analyzing an image, rhetorical analysis will help highlight what stands out about the image, how the text if there is a text ties into the influence of the argument of the image, and how the author of the image feels.
A writer can use the rhetorical situation when planning phase of writing a paper to help think critically and make decisions about the writing. Focusing on what is the motivation and who needs to read the argument will help pick the influences and ways to persuade the reader. Deciding how to illustrate the attitudes, beliefs, or afflictions is important to keep the reader’s attention.
3. Why is the audience important in argument? What types of positions might an audience initially hold? What possible outcomes are associated with arguments directed to each of these audiences? The audience is important in order to create common ground and achieve some definable audience outcomes. The audience may initially be a friendly audience, an undecided
