Bonny, Ago, Tim.

A rhetorical situation is when some specific situational circumstances call rhetoric into being. To put it in layman’s term, it is when a problem requires a solution. A rhetorical situation consists of five major elements. These elements include text, author (rhetor), audience, purpose, and setting.

Bitzer and Vatz offer strikingly different views on the idea of a rhetorical situation. On one hand, Bitzer believes that exigence is inherent to a situation. Therefore, he concludes that people observe exigence in the world and respond to them. On the other hand, Vatz believes that exigence is not inherent to a situation. Vatz believes that we give things their meaning through our perception. In other words, Vatz postulated that meaning is created, not reflected.

Upon reviewing and reading more in-depth, I have come to the conclusion that Vatz’s perspective on the rhetorical situation is more appropriate. Although Bitzer’s statement holds true in some cases, Vatz’s perspective applies for most things in life. A perfect example would be a family heirloom. To a family member, an heirloom would be an extremely valuable object that should be protected at all costs. To another person, it might simply be a piece of junk. We individually create meaning for the things around us, thus it is not a surprise that people have different views on various things.

For this task, I will be analyzing the rhetorical situation of a BBC article titled “Indonesia rejects French death row convict Serge Ataloui clemency.” Within the article, it is stated that “a court in Indonesia has rejected the final appeal of a French national sentenced to death for drug offenses.” This situation connects the audience, both the local Indonesian and international communities, with the case at hand. In this example, the French government takes a strong against the death penalty. On the other hand, Indonesia has a strict zero-tolerance against drug offenses. This situation holds true with Vatz’s views on a rhetorical situation, which states that “meaning is not discovered in situations, but created by rhetors.” Due to the different cultures and political background, Indonesia and France respectively have clashing views on drug offenses and the death penalty.

Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33220239

The following is a link to our group's rhetorical situation powerpoint:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kbbMpl9vnCsJz66eE9GSUwsCr3vCx-93_9fcPgJdH3U/edit?usp=sharing