Bitzer Response

In the article “The Rhetorical Situation” written by Lloyd Bitzer, big words and complex concepts are thrown into a giant mess called a reading. My job is to break the reading down and compare what knowledge I think I understood from it to web design.

Ready, set, go.

Obviously the main concept is figuring out what a rhetorical situation is. Bitzer clearly defines a 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...blah blah blah” (6) My thoughts? Just a fancy way of saying a situation that presents itself that can be changed if the participants within the situation allow it (again, just my thoughts). Bitzer goes on to say that there are three constituents (components) of any given rhetorical situation: exigence, audience, and constraints. There he goes again with his big words! Exigence can be described as an issue that has the possibility to be solved (rhetorical) or not.  Audience (“rhetoric always requires an audience” (7)) pertaining to a rhetorical situation must be able to be influenced and able to make a change to the specific situation. Constraints are plainly put, hindrances to the change of the situation. Without these components there would be no format to which situations can be modified.

How does this relate?

With designing a web page (putting aside the extensive coding work) you must have a reason for your madness. A web designer must have an issue to solve, and an audience that has that issue. They need to find a solution that makes the audience realize what action is called for that specific situation. I think what Bitzer is trying to say is that when (in this case designing/creating a web page) a situation arises there needs to be a solution, no matter what kind, that follows.

I know I have only scratched the surface with Bitzer, but I have tried to pick out a small aspect that is most value to what I will need to be successful with designing for the web and creating any piece of work in my life.

The synonym tool did help in the reading and response of this assignment.

Thank you and goodnight.