According to Keith Grant-Davie, a rhetorical situation is “a situation where a speaker or writer sees a need to change reality and sees that the change may be effected through rhetorical discourse” (Grant-Davie 350). In other words, a rhetorical situation mainly consists of an exigence, or a reason to communicate, a rhetor(s), which is another word or a writer, an audience, and constraints that may strengthen or hinder the exigence. In Grant-Davie’s article, he focuses on analyzing works from the point of view of the reader; however, it is important to know that we can also apply his reasonings from the perspective of the writer. As a writer, it is useful to understand the rhetorical situation you’re writing for. A great example is the in-class lecture on January 17 (Polk). We were assigned a task in which we had to write a persuasive letter to many different people and watch as the same material for the letter changed in regard to who we were writing it for. This is important for writers because it helps them shape their writings into a more appropriate piece of work. A well-known businessman wouldn’t want to write an email to a boss in the same matter as he would if it were to a close friend. Likewise, a boss …show more content…
Burke’s metaphor describes a parlor in which people are having a debate. Nobody knows the origin of the argument but when they feel they have learned enough information, they share their input on the matter. The argument doesn’t end when everyone leaves the parlor—it continues indefinitely. This metaphor plays an important role in illustrating where our views on writing come from. It suggests that our writing is a collection of all of the writings we have come into contact with in the past and will inevitably affect our writings in the