The Rhetorical Situation

Start big – general - global Think of this globe as the context of your situation. Context is a broad term that contains many things: physical environment, culture, nationality, language, ethnicity, world-view, belief system, economic status, and so on… the context is the world in which the text is composed.

Now, let’s zoom in. TEXT At the center of the triangle is whatever text you’re are considering.

Purpose TEXT Writer Audience At each vertices of the triangle, we find the writer (or creator) of the text, the text’s audience, and the text’s purpose.

The Writer Who created this text? What were their motivations? What other texts has this writer created?

The Audience Who is the intended audience for this text? Who is the “real” audience for this text? How has the audience reacted?

Purpose What was the writer’s purpose in creating this text? Has the text achieved it’s purpose? What purposes has the text served that may not have been the writer’s intention?

By considering the whole picture, we can approach any text and analyze it: this is the first step towards actively engaging in the world of ideas. Purpose TEXT Writer Audience The final element of the rhetorical situation is you – the investigator!