Rhetorical Situation: Bitzer Vatz And Consignee

Assignment 1

What is a rhetorical situation? professionals use the phrase “rhetorical situation” in reference to any set of circumstances that involves at least one person using some sort of communication to change the perspective of at least one other person. but, what defines a situation as rhetorical? Grant-Davie considers any event, or situation rhetorical when it's shaped by language or some form of communication. "Rhetorical situations exist everywhere and we encounter them every day, in ordinary, unplanned, un-self conscious interactions." (Davie, p. 101) Anything can be a rhetorical situation and everything is a rhetorical situation. Like the clothes you wear. Why do you wear them? What do you want people to think of you when
these three professionals all have different views on how one would define a rhetorical situation, take for instance Bitzer who defines a rhetorical situation as "a complex of persons, events , objects and relations presenting an actual or potential exigency which can be completely or partially removed if discourse introduced into a situation, can so constrain human decision or action as to bring about the significant modification of the exigency" (Davie, p.105)bitzer argues that understanding situation is important because a situation invites and largely determines the form of the rhetorical work that responds to it. contrary to Bitzers views, Vatz argues that the situation itself doesn't matter but rather the rhetor (person) is whets important in a situation, because they are the ones who create it and therefore respond to it. Vatz contends that without rhetors rhetorical situations wouldn't exist. Consignee on the other hand both agrees and disagrees with both vats and bitzer. he believes that the art of rhetoric should involve integrity (supporting Vatz)- the ability of a rhetor to respond and apply a standard set of strategies effectively to any situation, he also believes that rhetoric should involve "receptivity"(supporting Bitzer)- the ability to respond to the conditions and demands of the individual situations. (Davie. p 105) Bitzer identified three important constituents of a situation: Exigence, audience and constraints. Bitzer defines exigence is some kind of need or problem that can be solved through rhetorical discourse, audience as those who can help solve the exigence, and he defines constraints as the individual parts of a situation which act as constraints on ones decisions and actions. Grant-Davie agrees with bitzer to an extent but he proposes an amendment to Bitzers constituents. he believes the rhetor of a