Module 1: Define Your Topic, Consider the Rhetorical Situation (2 pages 1, 2) what's this?
| Consider the Rhetorical Situation | Generate and Refine Ideas | Define the Purpose | Consider the Audience | Develop a Tentative Thesis Statement |
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One of the first things that many writers do before they begin writing is to consider the “rhetorical situation.” Think about the rhetorical situation as your writing situation or the set of circumstances that you find yourself in as you need to communicate something. As a student, it may be difficult to critically assess this set of circumstances because the writing you’ve been doing the past few years has most likely involved you writing to one audience (your instructor) and fulfilling a purpose that the instructor may have designated. |
But a unique rhetorical situation exists every time you write because you will always need to adapt your writing to your purpose and audience. You’ve unconsciously done this process in the past—you’ve adapted your writing to your instructor’s assignment or guidelines. Essentially, to consider your rhetorical situation, you need to analyze those sets of circumstances that arise in each particular writing situation. As you analyze your situation, you’ll begin to see how your purpose and audience fit together with your subject.
Next, you'll need to have some paper and pencils ready so you can analyze your unique rhetorical situation.
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Copyright 2003 by the Academic Center, the University of Houston-Victoria, and
Summer Leibensperger.
Created 2003 by Summer Leibensperger.
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