The Rhetorical
Situation, written by Bitzer in 1968, triggered a conversation about the topic
and started a controversy that narrows down into two main points. The two sides
of the rhetorical situation are that rhetoric brings about situations, and the
other is that situations bring about rhetoric. The three constituents that make
up Bitzers Rhetorical Situation are stated as exigence, an audience, and a set
of constraints. An exigence is a worldly problem, an audience is the influence
the audience has on a rhetorical discourse, and the set of constraints refers
to the limitations set by certain aspects. As stated by Bitzer, the exigence is
an obstacle in the way and is noticed as imperative. Although an exigence is
not always rhetorical, it is when it requires a positive action for discourse.
For example, if a man is committing a crime, but is then put in jail, and the
discourse becomes positive, it is then a rhetorical exigence. The audience, the
second constituent of a rhetorical situation, is only rhetorical if they can be
influenced by the situation, or discourse. For example, the audience cannot be
simply absorbing the discourse, but they must take the discourse, absorb and be
influenced by the discourse, and be the intermediaries of variation. Furthermore,
the third constituent of the rhetorical situation, according to Bitzer, is the
set of constraints. The set of constraints ties together the exigence and the
audience due to the fact they are the events or objects that create an exigence
and influence the audience to mediate change. For example, an object or idea
may create an exigence that has a negative discourse, but this negative
discourse can become positive due to the audience which mediates the change of
the discourse.
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