A Rhetorical Analysis Of Speech By Lloyd Bitzer

The rhetorical situation is made up of a few elements such as the audience, the issue, and the constraints. Bitzer described the rhetorical situation as “a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence, which can be completely or partially removed if discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action as to bring about the significant modification of the exigence” (Bitzer 6). In this essay I will explain in depth how the rhetorical situation works as a process. The main three parts of the rhetorical situation is the exigence and/or issue, the audience, and the constraints. I will also talk about the influence that Bitzer holds with the rhetorical situation, and

Speaking is form of art that can either be a natural gift or a practiced talent. Much like there are several different ways a person can draw: cartooning, free hand, or realistic, there are many ways in which a person can speak. Nikki Giovanni’s speech “We Are Virginia Tech” makes people cry, rejoice, and move on. A speech is one form of art that can evoke these types of emotions from people.

Passion is a necessary trait all excellent speakers use to persuade their audiences. A passionate speaker uses pathos to sway his or her audience to the speaker’s side by playing with the audience’s emotions. Before pathos is used to move the audience emotionally, it is smart for the speaker to use ethos to build good credibility. With credibility, the speaker has the ability to make the audience trust him or her. That trust is beneficial to help the audience believe what the speaker is saying. Logos is another trait that a strong speaker must make use of to show intellect. It is the appeal to logic. Logic is needed to show the audience that the speaker knows his or her facts and can effectively back them up. Ethos, pathos, and logos are three vital aspects of a good speech. Elizabeth I uses all three appeals subtly throughout her speech, using pathos the most. The queen also uses rhetorical devices to emphasize her points. Through the use of amplification, asyndeton, and climax, Elizabeth I reassures and inspires her troops with her compelling speech.

Keith Grant-Davie's essay on rhetorical situations is an in depth explanation of rhetorical situations. A rhetorical situation is when a rhetorician or writer wants to change the way an audience see's or understands something by using discourse. Grant-Davie describes the four main parts of a rhetorical situation as being the rhetor, an audience, exigence, and constraints. The rhetor, is the speaker or producer that is trying to get an idea into the audiences head. The audience is anyone who is taking in the material that the rhetor is advertising. Exigence is the "problem" that the rhetor is addressing; the whole reason discourse was brought to light. Finally constraints are the boundaries the rhetor follows to butter up the audience. They

The rhetorical situation refers to “a situation in which people’s understanding can be changed through messages.” (Zarefsky, 12). The rhetorical situation analysis consists of four elements: audience, occasion, speaker and speech, each assessing the quality of speech. In this essay, I will analyze the rhetorical situation of the historical speech “The Challenger Address” delivered by the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan.

As first stated by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, the art of rhetoric in persuasive speaking is based upon the usage of the three key components, logos, ethos and pathos. Logos representing the usage of logic and reasoning within the speech or text, ethos representing the writer or speaker’s credibility and pathos representing how the speaker or author establishes an emotional connection with the audience. In former president Bill Clinton’s 2012 democratic national convention he relies heavily upon Aristotle’s persuasive speaking techniques to help convince the participants of the convention and those watching at home to reelect the nominee of the Democratic Party, current

“rhetorical discourse comes into existence as a response to a situation…the situation controls the rhetorical response…rhetoric is a mode of altering reality…by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action…Let us regard rhetorical situation as a natural context of persons, events, objects, relations, and an exigence which strongly invites utterance” (Philosophy & Rhetoric, Volume 1, 1 –

In reading Lloyd F. Bitzer's essay The Rhetorical Situation, my understanding is that there are several components needed to complete a rhetorical situation-- including the situation. According to Bitzer, if there isn't a situation existing that compels an exigency-- the rhetoric will be empty. I agree with Bitzer's viewpoint. He points out how "rhetoric is essentially related to a situation". Lloyd Bitzer also goes on to say that if there is no situation, there will be no response or utterance from the audience, and it is most important to invite a compelling need to have an utterance. Bitzer also implies that during a speech, the response has to fit the situation, have relevance, and only this will make the rhetoric significant. Overall,

The 1973 recording of Marlon Brando’s Oscar award rejection presented by American Indian activist Sacheen Littlefeather brought civil awareness of unfair treatment and exploitation of Native American Indians in the film industry. Marlon Brando’s bold boycott and refusal to accept the award allowed for Oscar viewers to understand the severity of the inequality situation. Lloyd Bitzer, a well-known rhetorician, defines the context or contents of a rhetorical situation and the ways to properly address an idea or concern. In his book, The Rhetorical Situation, Bitzer states, “Rhetorical discourse is called into existence by the situation; the situation which the rhetor perceives amounts to an invitation to create and present discourse (p. 9). Bitzer’s philosophy of rhetoric is categorized

speaking as a means of communication or persuasion”. In other words, rhetoric is the way a speaker convinces an audience to approach a given issue from a preferred perspective. Speakers may utilize the following appeals to win an audience’s favor: ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos refers to the speakers incorporation of the audience’s ethical responsibilities. A speaker also uses ethos to establish credibility. Logos is the speaker's use of logic and reasoning by way of factual evidence. Lastly, a speaker may use pathos to engage the audience’s emotions. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Atticus Finch are outstanding examples of speakers who effectively utilize

An effective speaker carefully considers the audience when preparing a speech. Ask yourself these questions:

In The Rhetorical Situation, Lloyd F. Bitzer argues that what makes a situation rhetorical is similar to that which constitutes a moral action as he writes that, “an act is moral because it is an act performed in a situation of a certain kind; similarly, a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind”.(3) By defining the rhetorical situation in this way, Bitzer further contends that rhetoric is a means to altering reality. (4) It is through the use of discourse that one is capable of changing reality through thought and action. (4) Bitzer then elaborates upon the nature of a rhetorical situation by explaining that rhetorical discourse enters a situation when: providing a response to its state of affairs;

By Bitzer’s definition, the rhetorical situation consists of three parts: an exigence, or the problem needing positive modification, an audience, or those whom the speaker addresses, and a set of constraints, or obstacles that limit decisions and actions. Bitzer’s model is most effective for analyzing this speech in that it contextualizes the enormity of the issue and highlights DiCaprio’s grace as he confronts his limitations. DiCaprio uses his unique rhetorical situation, consisting of his own influential status and that of his audience, to establish a truly impactful speech. After creating a dark and frightening image of the effects of human environmental impact, DiCaprio moves to establish his exigence, the issue needing immediate attention.

Public/Rhetorical: Communication to a large group of listeners. Audience. Communication apprehension; delivery effectiveness; speech and text criticism; ethical speechmaking; popular culture analysis. Speech, debate, entertain, perform, persuade.

Speeches are heard when the speaker has an issue he/she want to discuss with a large group of people. Usually, politicians or senior leaders will write speeches for the public or their followers since they have a major message to release. Moreover, such speeches are done in large arenas or are televised on TV. Finally, speeches are also written when they want others to take action. This is usually about a social or political issue.