Correctly identify all components of the rhetorical situation using a text from our class and 2) discuss whether or not the choices made by the rhetor (writer, producer, artist, creator of the text) are effective or persuasive.
1) We’ve been working on rhetorical situation for a while now, so you should feel comfortable identifying exigence, audience, and constraints in a text. Make sure you provide specific evidence/examples to back up your view of the rhetorical context (for example, how do you know the target audience, based on the text? what does the text or genre/medium itself show us about the constraints? what portion of the text helps us identify the exigence or the problem its trying to address?)
2) Analyzing Choices and Effects. You should definitely re-read the section of “Backpacks vs. Briefcases” that has to do with Argument and Analyzing Appeals. Another helpful tutorial is the youtube video in Unit 4: Choices and Effects in Rhetorical Analysis. You should consider what choices the writer/producer behind the text makes and analyze how these choices impact the audience or address the rhetorical context. This is the area where there’s more room for your own interpretation. For example, one person might view Colbie Caillet’s video as ineffective in reaching its intended audience based on specific choices made by the producers. Another person might argue that the song/video actually was successful in creating a new view of “beauty” for women, and giving people pause for thought about the difficulties of “trying so hard” in our media-saturated culture. Whether you decide that your text is or isn’t effective/persuasive (or maybe you decide it’s effective in some ways but not in others…) you should support your view of this with specific evidence from the text. Keep thinking about those two key ideas–choices and effects and how they address the rhetorical situation (context).
You may organize the post however you’d like, even including section breaks like we saw in the article “Backpacks and Briefcases.” It’s possible to arrange your post with headings like “Rhetorical Context” “Appeals” or “Choices and Effects.” This way you don’t have to worry about transitioning between the first part (rhetorical situation) and the second part (effective or ineffective). Make sense?