The difference between Edbauer and Bitzer is one of
extent. Bitzer’s analysis takes into
account the situation where a rhetorical response is expected. Edbauer’s does something similar, but also
takes into account the rhetorical histories of those responses.
My first example is an ichthus (fish) bumper sticker. This
is very similar to Edbauer’s example of the “Keep Austin Weird”
phenomenon. The icthus symbol was used
by the early Christian church being persecuted in Rome. It was used as a secret sign to indicate
meeting places/tombs. Now this symbol is
openly presented on things like car bumpers and necklaces to indicate affiliation
with Christianity. The icthus is a
perfect example of Edbauer’s Rhetorical Ecology. The rhetorical use of the symbol is at the center
of a complex web of meaning and exigence.
Compared to Bitzer’s somewhat one-dimensional analysis of a single situation
and audience, Edbauer’s analysis takes into account the complexities of history
and individuality. Bitzer would take
into account the bumper sticker and the other drivers that would see it and the
exigence of bumper stickers, but he would not indicate the change in use of the
symbol or its historical context to the extent that Edbauer would.
Another pertinent example is a tweet by Hillary Clinton from
the inauguration that reads, “I’m here today to honor our democracy & its
enduring values. I will never stop believing in our country & its future.
#Inauguration”. Bitzer would value the
rhetorical situation of the inauguration inspiring the response from Clinton. The audience in this case would be critical
to Bitzer’s analysis. In this case specifically,
the audience is made up of Clinton supporters/followers that would be aware of
the current events. Edbauer, on the
other hand, would probably consider the complications of Twitter and other
responses outside of the single situation.
The inauguration has its own complex net of ceremony and rhetorical
situations that could also be considered.
Overall, Edbauer’s technique is an improvement to Bitzer’s.
I think that Edbauer expands on Bitzer’s analysis to take in
more information. Bitzer focuses on the
single situation, while Edbauer integrates the surrounding and unique
situations. I think that makes Edbauer’s
analysis more complete, and therefore better, overall.
These pictures help so much! Thank you! The symbol of the fish, in particular, helped me to understand the rhetorical ecology. I hadn't thought about adding historical context to something when talking about the ecology. I also think that the tweet example is helpful because it's something that has happened so recently and is a great reference point. It's also nice that it is an example with social media, which is so widely used today.
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