Another way to understand how the rhetorical situation affects an argument is to practice writing short arguments that ask you to take on different roles as a speaker for different audiences on various topics. Look over the following situations, and write a few sentences of the argument you might write, taking into account your role as the speaker, the occasion, the audience, your purpose, and your subject. Afterward, reflect on what changed in each argument as a result of the changed context.
You get caught defacing a statue of your rival school’s mascot.
Scenario 1: You need to explain to a college you have applied to why the incident is on your school disciplinary record, and why it should admit you anyway.
Scenario 2: You need to apologize to the rival school’s student body and prevent any retaliation against your mascot or school.
A student is caught plagiarizing an essay, which results in failing the course:
Scenario 1: You are a senior in high school with a full scholarship to college next year, and you are talking to the teacher who caught you plagiarizing.
Scenario 2: You are the teacher in a meeting with the student’s parents and their lawyer, who are contesting the failing grade.
What changed when the rhetorical situation changed?
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A rhetorical situation of your own choosing:
Scenario 1: __________
Scenario 2: __________
What changed when the rhetorical situation changed?
When thinking about the rhetorical situation, the key question to ask is:
How do the speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, and subject influence the way the argument is expressed?