Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation
 Persona – the writer/speaker of the text. How does
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he/she want to be perceived? What does he/she presume
about the audience? What is the most compelling
evidence?
Intention – the purpose, or why, something was written.
Genre – the literary type: speech, novel, political article,
newspaper ad, etc.
Subject – general topic/main idea
Audience – group of readers/listeners/viewers the whom
the piece is directed.
Context – the time and place (setting); the event causing
the writing/speech to occur.
 Has your teacher ever asked WHY the author used a
certain type of repetition, or WHY a certain type of
diction was used, etc.?
 PIGSAC will help you to discover what is called the
rhetorical situation, which must be done before the
analysis of rhetoric.
 In other words, to go beyond merely identifying
devices, you need the idea for which you attach your
analysis – the WHY.
Persona –
Intention –
Genre –
Subject –
Audience –
Context –
Persona –Red Cross; presumes
audience has decency and sense of
humanity; “Together we can save a life”
Intention – urges the giving of blood;
elicits donations, volunteers.
Genre – poster, advertisement
Subject – public health, giving
blood, saving lives
Audience – everyone, potential
volunteers
Context – United States; 2004;
shortage of blood; life-threatening
Appealing to common
decency and the sense of
In their 2004
poster, thewe
humanity
that “[t]ogether
American
Red Cross,
can
save a life,”
the
2004 American
through
its use ofRed Cross
poster
urges everyone
to give
“[t]ogether,
we can save
a
blood
to avertelicits
the potential
life” slogan,
both
of
a life-threatening
crisis
donations
of life-saving
within our families and
blood and simple
within our communities.
volunteer efforts from busy
Americans.
Persona –
Intention –
Genre –
Subject –
Audience –
Context –
Now YOU create
a synthesis
statement using
the brainstorm.
Persona – WPA War Services;
John McCrady, presumes audience
wants to keep soldiers safe, “This
[enemy sinking U.S. ship] happens
when YOU talk”
Intention – The intent is to
discourage talk about the war
effort so the enemy does not hear
something they shouldn’t.
Genre – Advertisement, war
poster
Subject – World War II efforts,
keeping soldiers safe
Audience – U. S. Citizens
Context – New Orleans, LA port
of Departure; 1940s. World War II;
fear of invasion of Continental
U.S.
 Use the information
provided and your
handout to PIGSAC the
closing argument.
 After you PIGSAC the
argument, write a
synthesis statement that
is one-two sentences
long.