Rhetorical Situations in Everyday Writing

Within Bitzer’s essay, “The Rhetorical Situation” and Edbauer’s “Unframing Models of Public Distribution”, both pieces speak on the presence of a rhetorical situation within certain mediums and the variables that coincide. I found many parallels that could correlate with writings we can find in our very day modern life, writings in the sense of text messages, letter, or a social media post. Before making any claim to rhetoric within everyday writing, one must understand the underlying definition.

“A work of rhetoric is pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself; it functions ultimately to produce action or change in the world; it performs some task. In short, rhetoric is a mode of altering reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the meditation of thought and action... In this sense rhetoric is always persuasive” (Bitzer).

With this definition in mind, one can also understand that a rhetorical situation coincides with rhetorical discourse as a “necessary condition”. How do we find these examples of rhetoric within everyday writing? Take social media which people use on a regular basis. One could perform multiple tasks and actions through post or messages, or even so much as uploading a picture. These actions taken by the users are subject to an open forum, a call for action, in other words participation through its viewers. A user creates a post discussing a certain problem, issue, or statement on a matter. Thus, initiating a call for action. As Bitzer would agree, “A situation is rhetorical insofar as it needs, and invites discourse capable of participating with situation and thereby altering its reality”. This brings into question, not all post technically provides a call for action or change? And that is true. Which brings another point into the picture, if it cannot be modified or changed it is not rhetoric. An exigence is only rhetorical when it can provide some positive change or modification. Aside from social media, we can correlate this meaning of a rhetorical situation in everyday writing into notes, in the sense that usually a note provides a call to action, positive change. Even a text message can be found within this medium as they usually require an answer back, or serve in the same sense and a note would. As one moves throughout their daily lives, one can find the rhetorical sense illuminating out of daily occurrences.

“The world presents imperfections to be modified by means of discourse – hence the practical need for rhetorical investigation and discourse” (Bitzer).