26 September 2012
Essay #2 ~ Rhetorical Analysis Journal #3
Please explain the angle of vision for the cartoon:
Class Assignment:
Read the first two sections of Laura Bolin Carroll’s
essay, “Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward
Rhetorical Analysis”
Prep Work for Essay 2: Analyzing the Rhetorical
Situation
Prep Work for Essay 2:
Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation
Answer the following questions about the rhetorical
situation of your speech as the basis for Essay #2 (see
the section called “The Rhetorical Situation, or
Discerning Context” in “Backpacks vs. Briefcases” for
further explanation):
1. What is the EXIGENCE of the speech? In other
words, what circumstances or conditions is the speech
responding to? What called for the speech to be
written at this time?
2. Who is the AUDIENCE for the speech? (That is, who
does the author see himself writing to, and what clues
in the text tell you that?) Why can this audience help
address the problem that the author is talking about?
3. What are the CONSTRAINTS for the speech? That is,
what sorts of things create limits to the way the
discourse is delivered or communicated? What are
these limits?