Journal 2

When it comes to finding two different examples of Bitzer and Edbauer’s definition of rhetoric, you must think inside and outside the box. Imagine the rhetorical situation as a box. Inside the box there are many exigencies. The box also contains an audience and constraints. If Bitzer were to see this situation, he would chose one exigence within the box, look at the constraints within the reality of the box, and seek out the audience he can change. Edbauer, on the other hand, sees this box and takes into account all the life within it and the life that exists outside of it. It’s ecology.

            An example of Bitzer would be the time I convinced my parents to let me have a job in high school. I wanted to go hang out with my friends but couldn’t, due to the fact that I had no money and had to rely on my parents. My parents were paying for almost everything and I couldn’t stand to see it continue. One day, I sat down with them and tried to convince them that I should get a job. I brought up the fact that they were paying so much for my older sister in college and how soon it would be me too. They realized the financial stress and conceded. I got a job. There were many reasons why I needed the job but I chose the college route cause it was most appealing towards my parents, ignoring all other exigencies.

            But when looking at Edbauer, a cover song is the best way to go. Hurt by Nine Inch Nails was released in 1994 and was a disturbingly depressing anthem to the victims of suicide. Fast forward eight years later and legendary country singer Johnny Cash did a cover of the song, taking the meaning into a whole other direction. The song all of a sudden was about an old man at the end of his life looking back and hurting over his regrets. But the only way to truly understand this situation is to understand who Johnny Cash is, his career, and the original song he covered. All these outside factors lead into the song’s rhetorical situation.

            Bitzer and Edbauer would agree that there must be an exigence, audience, and constraints when creating a rhetorical discourse. But Edbauer expands on that, taking into account the factors that create the many exigencies.