English

The rhetorical situation, the intersections between writer, subject, and audience, provides a framework for understanding the texts we read as well as those we write. See this profile of the rhetorical situation by Justin Jory on Open English @ SLCC for a good overview. 

No text exists in a vacuum! Context will always inform everything we encounter or write ourselves. We write about certain issues in certain ways at certain times for certain purposes. When writing or reading a text, consider its:

• date of publication
  • How recent is the source? Was it written during, before, or after an event occurred? 
    • A 1942 article on WWII will look different from a 2021 article on WWII. Both can be valid for use in different contexts. 
• author
  • Who are they? What are their qualifications? 
    • A biochemistry student, biochemist, and economist all have different qualifications. We consider their writings regarding chemical compounds differently. 
• publisher
  • Like the author, what does this publisher tend to produce? Do they have a good reputation? 
    • Especially with academic articles, beware predatory publishers.
• purpose
  • Why was this article written? 
    • depends on audience
• audience
  • Who is this article for?
    • An author will write differently to children, teenagers, adults, etc.
    • The qualifications and characteristics of an audience influence the style of writing, as well. 

Venn Diagram of the Rhetorical Situation from the Open English @ SLCC webpage: