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According to Bitzer, what are the three constituents of a rhetorical situation?

User Enixa
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Final answer:

Lloyd Bitzer's concept of a rhetorical situation consists of three key constituents: exigence, audience, and constraints, which are essential for the effective delivery and analysis of rhetoric.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Lloyd Bitzer, a rhetorical situation is comprised of three constituents: exigence, audience, and constraints. Exigence refers to an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be done, a thing that is other than it should be.

The audience consists of those persons who are capable of being influenced by discourse and of being mediators of change. Lastly, constraints are made up of persons, events, objects, and relations which are parts of the situation because they have the power to constrain decisions and actions needed to modify the exigence.

Together, these three components create a context that calls forth a particular kind of rhetorical response. If any of these are absent or significantly weak, the rhetorical situation may lose its effectiveness or may not come into existence at all. Hence, understanding these elements is essential for the effective delivery and analysis of rhetoric within any communicative act.

User GregoryK
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