McChrystal 1

Adrienne McChrystal
Megan Keaton
ENC 2135
2 August, 2016
Rhetorical Situation
If you were to ask me what rhetorical situation was before this class I would have not
been able to give you an answer. If you were to ask me what audience and purpose meant I
would have answered along the lines of who you are writing for and the reason you are
writing. There is evidence in my daybook entry on June 29, 2016, that I could have answered
those simple questions at the beginning of the semester. I prove this by using a text to my
roommate as an example and continuing on to say my roommate was my audience, the
purpose was to ask what time she would be back at our room, the message was not punctuated
according to grammar rules and the tone was informal (daybook 6/29/16).
The first time I was consciously exposed to the definition of rhetorical situation was
when I was taking notes off a slideshow in class. Im sure it was mentioned in an assigned
reading before this Power Point was presented, but it hadnt stuck with me yet. My notes from
the presentation read as follows rhetorical situation: considerations that should be taken into
account. I didnt recognize that features like audience and purpose fell under rhetorical
situation until I reviewed my notes later that day.
My realization occurred before I composed my first draft of Paper 1. In my first draft I
included that I unconsciously took the rhetorical situation into consideration when assessing the
audience and the purpose of my speech. This was one of the first times I was able to understand
what was included under the umbrella of rhetorical situation.
Composing Project 3 was when I really began to focus on the concept of rhetorical
situation. I chose to teach my audience about it because I was stilled stunned that it basically
meant audience and purpose. I wanted to share that information with my audience to make the
material more approachable. Rhetorical situation is a very simple concept, disguised by a stand-

McChrystal 2
offish title. In Project 3 I defined rhetorical situation as the purpose and audience of your
composition (https://prezi.com/sdpjzop4hl45/genre/?
utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy).
The comic strip I created focused mostly on rhetorical situation and the fact that it was a
fundamentally simple idea to grasp. My definition of genre a category chosen, whose
conventions most precisely meet the needs of the rhetorical situation illustrates the value that
the rhetorical situation holds when choosing a genre and composing the text. The comic strip
highlights that it is essential to ask two questions before choosing your genre who is you
audience? and what is your purpose? I went on to illustrate that without answering those
questions you are basically taking a spin on the Wheel of Genres. Leaving your choice up to a
random selection (https://www.pixton.com/comic-strip/v3vhaquq). By the end of the semester I
am now able to see rhetorical situation for what it really is, the audience and purpose of your
composition. This knowledge will help me determine which genre is appropriate to compose for
future assignments.