AP Lang Rhetorical Memorization

p

Rhetoric

Using language to construct meaning.

Rhetorical Situation

The circumstances out of which the argument emerges. It is made up of the context, exigence, speaker, audience, subject, and purpose.

Parts of the Rhetorical Situation picture (Glenn and Gray 2007)

Replaces speaker with writer and subject with message.

Context

The general time, place, and occasion within which the rhetorical situation is generated.

Context questions

When was this argument generated? Where was this argument generated? What is social and cultural background that influences the creation of the argument?

Exigence

The events that prompt a speaker to make a claim.

Exigence questions

What has happened to make the speaker respond? What is the problem the speaker is responding to?

Speaker

The entity making a claim.

Speaker concrete

Who is literally speaking?

Speaker abstract

What character qualities does this speaker present? What does this speaker value? What is the speaker's background? What does the speaker believe? What constitutes his/her/its authority and/or why is it granted by the audience?

Audience

The individuals the speaker is directly trying to reach.

Audience concrete

Who is literally listening? (name, age, location).

Audience abstract

What are the collective character qualities of those listening? What type of people are they? What are their backgrounds? What are their values? What are their beliefs? What are their needs?

Subject

The topic of the speech or discourse.

Subject concrete

What is the speaker actually talking about?

Subject abstract

What underlying messages or ideas, that may not be explicitly stated, exist within the piece? (Universal Ideas).

Purpose

What the audience is supposed to understand and do after experiencing the discourse.

Purpose understand

What new understanding should an audience member have after listening to (or reading) this?

Purpose do

What should the audience do now that it knows this information?