Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Ede and Lunsford: Audience Addressed/Audience Invoked

1. What’s the essay’s rhetorical situation? What’s the exigence(s)? Audience(s)? Constraints?


2. What do Lannon, Bitzer, and Ede and Lunsford respectively mean by “audience”?


3. What is an “addressed audience”? What is an “invoked audience”?


4. What are the strengths and weaknesses of thinking audience in terms of it being either “addressed” or “invoked”?


5. Technical Writing Examples: What are their respective rhetorical situations? What are their exigences, constraints, and audiences (think “audience” as both addressed and invoked)?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Bitzer: Rhetorical Situation Questions

What is a rhetorical situation?

How does it shape/inform/constitute the ways we speak and write? What are its constituent parts?

President Obama's remarks on the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque": What's the rhetorical situation here? What are its specific constituents (exigences, audiences, constraints)? In your estimation, to what extent did President Obama offer a "fitting response to the situational exigence"? Did he, in other words, "hit the mark" in both a timely and fitting way?

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Herrick: Overview of Rhetoric

In his "Overview of Rhetoric," Herrick notes the many functions rhetoric holds in professional, social, and personal pursuits (e.g. sports, medicine, love affairs). Where else do we encounter and practice rhetoric?

How does Herrick define rhetoric and what features of rhetorical discourse does he identify? What connections do these ideas have to technical writing? (Draw on Lannon as well as your impressions of what technical means.)

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Proposal Outline

Problem Statement

goal: prove that a pressing problem exists for the audience—which implies…

· exigence: urgency, connection to the present time—why a problem NOW?

· remember the audience—explain how problem affects them—how do you know?

· Briefly, but specifically, proposes a solution to the problem that is fitting for both exigence and audience.

Proposed Solution

goal: to prove that the document will alleviate the problem for the audience and client

· tie to problem: in problem section, identified various elements of problem, consequences of problem—in solution section, show HOW solution will alleviate each one

· in plans for document, talk about audience’s and commissioner’s needs and how you plan to accommodate—describe what you know about audience and how you know it, and how it will affect what you write

Work Plan

goal: to prove your plan will produce the desired result on time

· include as much detail as possible—all the steps you’ll take, what you hope to gain from them, division of labor, research questions, precautions against delays

· schedule your work—deadlines for intermediate tasks (can use table format)

Qualifications

goal: to prove you are prepared

· relevant experience—classes, previous work of this kind, etc.

· people who have agreed to help

· position relative to audience and how it will affect document, your work, etc.

Don’t forget to include a title that is specific to your problem and solution.