ENGL 1301
04.23.12
Monty
A
three-part “conversation” between Lloyd
Bitzer, Richard Vatz, and Scott Consigny
 Dealt with rhetoric as it pertains to
persuasive, social situations
 Argued for different understandings of
audience
 Demonstrated a triangulated approach to
epistemology
Bitzer (1968)
 Concerned
with the contexts that
prompted people to write
 Situation gives existence to the
discourse, not the other way around
 Rhetoric is pragmatic
 The rhetorical situation is comprised
of: exigency, audience, and
restraints
 Ethos is malleable
Vatz (1973)
 Backwards
Bitzer
 Situation is tied to the
interpretations of the speaker
 Rhetorical situations are not static,
neither are morals and ethics
 Meaning is rhetorically constructed
(social epistemology)
Consigny (1974)
 Not
every rhetorical situation involves
a clear-cut problem
 The rhetor isn't there to answer
questions or solve problems, but to ask
questions and recognize problems;
must posses integrity and recptivity
 Problems do not pose themselves
 Rhetoric and a “heuristic” and
“managerial art”
 Topoi, topics, and common places
Map the entire
article, indicating the
author’s main points
and arguments
 Due via email by
Friday, April 27 @
11:30 PM

Individual
Compose a minilesson explaining the
author’s main points
and arguments
 Present findings to
class on Wednesday,
April 25, 10-15
minutes

Group