Blog Post #9

Define the three constituents of Bitzer’s rhetorical situation. Provide examples of each.

            As defined by Bitzer, a rhetorical situation is a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence, which can be completely or partially removed if discourses, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action as to bring about the significant modification of the exigence. He further explains that rhetorical situations have three constituents. The first being the exigence, the second is the audience to be constrained in the decision and action, and the third is the constraints that influence the rhetor and can be brought to bear upon the audience. He explains that any exigence is an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be done, a thing which is other than it should be. He also mentions that in almost any sort of context, there will be several exigences, but not all are elements of a rhetorical situation. He further explains that an exigence is rhetorical when it is capable of positive modification and when positive modification requires discourse or can be assisted by discourse. The second constituent he mentions is the audience. It explains that rhetoric always requires an audience since rhetorical discourse produces change by influencing the decision and action of persons who function as mediators of change. The rhetorical audience must be capable of serving as mediator of the change, which the discourse functions to produce. Finally, he goes on to discuss the set of constraints. He explains that every rhetorical situation contains a set of constraints made up of persons, events, objects, and relations, which are parts of the situation because they have the power to constrain decision and action needed to modify the exigence. Bitzer says that standard sources of constraint include beliefs, attitudes, documents, facts, traditions, images, interests, motivates and the like. He concludes by saying that these three constituents comprise everything relevant in a rhetorical situation.