Your Move Chief: A Rhetorical Analysis on Film

Good Will Hunting, a late 1990s drama written by the acting duo Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, portrays a young man’s journey overcoming his abusive past and embracing his intellectual potential. The protagonist, Will Hunting’s path towards realizing his immense skill occurs through the guidance of his probation officer’s prescribed therapy sessions. The entrance of Robin Williams’ character, psychiatrist Sean Macguire, leads to several emotional examples of rhetoric that occur throughout the film. Williams’ portrayal of Sean’s dedication to helping Will address his internal adversity brings about the prime example of rhetoric within the film which I have selected to highlight. This particular clip, a short frame commonly referred to as The Bench Scene accurately demonstrates the several aspects of effective rhetoric as defined by Bitzer, and proves a powerful cinematic moment with key rhetorical relevance that translates to current media.

Bitzer emphasizes the basis of particular instances that qualify them as rhetoric when he states, “rhetorical situation may be defined as a complex of persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence” (6). Three characteristics of “The Rhetorical Situation” are constraints that complicate the rhetoric’s overall message. An audience, that receives the communication and is called to action by the composer of the situation. Then exigence, the desire behind the given display to convey certain meanings through particular works. 

The idea that a moment or situation can be assumed to have rhetoric occurs when it also demonstrates persuasive elements that cultivate a response. The effective nature of rhetoric, regardless of the form of media it occurs through, is determined by the ability it has to connect to an audience and how strongly the message is conveyed despite the constraints working against it. The circumstances of a rhetorical situation must contain a shared narrative seeking to convince a viewer to recognize the events, and authenticity that outshines any factors that seek to undermine the ideals being portrayed. Each of these specified factors occurs during Robin Williams’ speech to Matt Damon’s character in the film, and the scene itself proves a strong example of the situation Bitzer emphasizes through his list of rhetorical elements. 

Through this short monologue delivered on a park bench, the exigence of Sean Maguire’s narrative is conveyed through his desire to get through to Will. Robin Williams’ talent as an actor makes a convincing display as he emotionally retells his life events to the young man. Sean’s character uses the hardships he experienced in war and the struggles with his wife’s cancer battle to relate to Will and his tragic past and demonstrate that his selfish nature of believing the world is against him, and he alone is victim to the struggles of human existence, proves blatantly false against the obstacles of others. He asserts his authority over Will’s naturally arrogant nature by counteracting it with compassion and wise words. Sean takes the opportunity of Will’s position as his client to come to terms with his personal battles, and through his passionate retelling of the past, he manages to use his desire of self-reflection to assist his work of pushing past Will’s emotional wall.

The conflict caused by Will’s experiences with abuse in the foster system, losing his family, and growing up in Boston feeling completely alone consume him. He responds to the hardships of his existence by acting out, as demonstrated by his countless run-ins with the law, assault, in particular, being the culprit landing him in Sean’s office. Despite his unfortunate circumstances, Will still demonstrates strong potential, his undeniable intelligence being the draw for Sean to get through to him. The psychiatrist uses unconventional methods of rhetoric to fulfill his hope to turn Will’s life around by getting personal about himself first to encourage Will to overcome his past. The details of Will’s extensive struggles, which Sean later elaborates on and demonstrates parallels to his former plights, prove the strongest exigence in the scene. The weight that his flawed reality has on his ability to move forward, catalyzes Sean’s purpose for getting vulnerable with him. As Sean begins to piece together Will’s mind the rhetorical situation of his moving speech are willed into existence and the basis of the work ahead of him to reach the young man’s heart is made known. 

While speaking to Will following his criticism of a paint by numbers in his office, causing a physical altercation between them and an awkward silence to ensue, the emotional breakthrough in the public park becomes inevitable to their relationship’s progression. Sean Maguire seeks to channel his wisdom past the young man’s pride and grant him understanding and insight into his experienced worldview. He utilizes their hour allotted therapy time to share a personal narrative with his client. The primary audience within this scene proves to be Will, as he is physically present next to Sean at the bench. However, it can also be interpreted that by attempting to teach Will the values of his past, Sean is also speaking on some levels to a former version of himself, who he witnesses parts of within Will’s character. Particularly in the moments where he remembers his wife, it becomes apparent that he also sees Nancy as a present member of his life, and by extension she too can be considered as the audience, seeing as their love proved a key aspect of Sean’s monologue. 

Bitzer throughout his outline of rhetorical situations, repeatedly explains that the key behind given rhetoric proves to be discourse and a driving purpose. Rhetorical situations must hold relevance and convey in some capacity a desire for change. This call to action as presented to a given audience holds more importance to the matter than simply receiving the communication, but also to initiate a form of change to occur within the recipient. Sean is not speaking to Will simply in terms of wishing to recount his past, but through his personal narrative, cause an awakening within Will’s nature and hopefully a chance for him to be released from the emotional pain dominating his conscience. Sean uses his rhetorical capabilities as an educated psychologist to get through to his client. Will’s position as the main audience is demonstrated through his solemn nature on the bench during the scene, as well as the later actions he takes as changes in his overall attitude towards Sean become more positive. The effectiveness of Sean’s words is made apparent as Will begins to share his own story. The obligation of a rhetorical audience is fulfilled within Will’s character, when Sean’s efforts come full circle during the equally emotion it’s not your fault scene, another instance of rhetoric within the moving film, proving that Will and Sean’s complicated relationship fulfill the aspects of Bitzer’s understanding of rhetorical situations.

Sean’s efforts to make Will become more in touch with himself as a person in addition to assisting him in moving on from his tragic circumstance, are met with strong resistance from Will’s strong-willed nature. The results of Sean’s genuine account are not necessarily well-received at first glance by Will as he remains silent throughout the five-minute monologue, however, the course of the film allows for the effectiveness of the rhetorical situations on the young man’s life to become known. The constraints of this scene are made prevalent based on Will’s demonstration of stubbornness before this particular climax instance in the film. His arrogance towards Sean’s authority, and constant carelessness towards the other professionals tasked with assisting him, prove a foundation towards his resistance to Sean’s approach of discussion. Another factor that obstructs Maguire’s message occurs when analyzing the tension between the newly acquainted pair. Due to their introduction being less than welcoming, the effectiveness of Sean’s intelligent statements is somewhat lost on his small audience, as Will allows personal bias against the professor to block out the effectiveness of the words Sean shares with him. Will’s poor history with “shrinks” causes him to lack trust and empathy for the vulnerability Sean attempts to share with him, a major constraint on the rhetoric being displayed. Their rocky relationship up until this point proves a challenging constraint to the scene as well. Will is unlikely to trust and fully dedicate his attention to Sean following their prior engagement ending in a fight.

 The parameters of the event impact the overall results of the experience Sean is attempting to relay. Bitzer outlines two separate forms of constraints “those originated or managed by the rhetor and his method… and those other constraints, in the situation, which may be operative” (8). Both of these play a role in complicating Sean’s rhetorical situation as his forceful nature of speaking to Will for the first time in an authoritative nature proves a stark contrast from the kind approach of their introduction. This controlled constraint is intended by Sean, as the speaker, as he seeks to defend himself against Will’s disrespect however, this method creates tension between him and his client and a barrier for his message to Will. The operative circumstances that constrain Sean’s speech occur due to Will’s unfortunate past with authority figures and natural tendency to underestimate and invalidate the efforts of professionals to encourage his personal development and intellectual abilities. 

The rhetoric of The Bench Scene in itself seemingly lacks effectiveness, as Will up until this moment in the film appeared to hold little to no respect for Sean, his superior. But, upon the movie’s progression, obvious changes appear in his character that contradicts his former stubbornness as he begins to slowly share with Sean throughout the course of their remaining exchanges. The lasting result of Sean’s willingness to share even his most intimate memories forms a silent bond between the two as mutual respect over shared hardships draws them to a common understanding. The emotion behind the scene makes it a memorable and effective demonstration of the relevance rhetorical situations can have. Bitzer’s demonstration of the elements of rhetoric is prevalent throughout Good Will Hunting. Sean’s intelligent display of rhetoric to Will highlights the various methods at which certain communication can be conveyed, and his message holds strong desires for change, making it a compelling example of all aspects that Bitzer formulates in his text.Your Move Chief GT (1)Your Move Chief GT (2)Your Move Chief GT (3)

The Real Cost’s Response to a Rhetorical Situation

The Real Cost is a campaign whose main focus is to make teens aware of the terrible outcomes that come from vaping, like ingesting toxic metals in vapes. The Real Cost mostly targets teenagers who are believed to be most susceptible to experimenting with vaping. The Real Cost was created by the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products. On April 20, 2020 they launched a commercial titled “Nothing is as Scary as the Facts” that features a man in an empty warehouse being cornered and “attacked” by a metal monster. The monster symbolized the toxic metals and chemicals that enter lungs when people vape. In exposing this issue and urging teens to stop vaping, The Real Cost is, as Lloyd F. Bitzer wrote, responding to a “rhetorical situation”. 

According to Bitzer, there are three main concepts that make up a rhetorical situation: exigence, audience and constraints. Bitzer defines a rhetorical situation as  “a natural context of persons, events, objects, relations, and an  exigence which  strongly invites utterance” (4).  In other words, a rhetorical situation is a persuasive event that sparks a rhetorical response. Exigence refers to the audience to “be addressed and the change to be affected” (7).  He makes it clear that the exigence must be flexible by discourse to be considered rhetorical.  Bitzer defines the audience as the people who are impacted by the rhetoric event and those that can be  “capable of being influenced by discourse” meaning that the goal is to influence them on the content being shared (7).  Lastly, Bitzer defines constraints as something that is “ made up of persons, events, objects and relations”(8).  This is the case because all of those factors have the ability to inhibit the exigence. These ideas of exigence, audience and constraints are all evident in the rhetorical situation that The Real Cost is responding to. 

The vaping epidemic is a prime example of exigence as it is a detrimental ongoing event, fueled by major corporations whose economic greed overpowers their morals. One of the major conglomerates that manufactures and sells vape products is JUUL. Although the company may appear to be concerned for their customers’ well being, this was disproved when an article published in 2019 stated “a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former JUUL executive last week claims the company knew teens would instead buy mint, which it was leaving on the market” (Setty). Vape companies are so concerned with how much money they are making that they completely disregard their ethics and how their product is negatively affecting thousands of teens. Additionally, there is an astonishingly greater amount of nicotine in one JUUL pod than most people may think: “JUUL Labs reports each 5% (nicotine-by-weight) cartridge contains approximately 40 mg nicotine per pod and is ‘approximately equivalent to about 1 pack of cigarettes’” (Prochaska).  This is a staggering amount of nicotine being ingested, and because it is more concise, it is easier to be inhaled, which increases risk of addiction. Unfortunately, this is what the vaping manufacturers are hoping to accomplish: repeat customers.This situation makes it clear how difficult it can be to combat such major corporations whose sole purpose is to make money, fully aware that their product is detrimental to others. 

In the commercial produced by The Real Cost, the exigence of trying to stop teens from vaping by showing them how harmful it is to their lungs, is explicit. This is an example of rhetorical exigence because data has shown that over the years “The Real Cost prevented nearly 350,000 U.S. youths aged 11–18 years from initiating smoking from February 2014 to March 2016” (Brubach). This is a direct representation of how a commercial, like the one released by The Real Cost, shows the clear exigence. While many may not be aware of the harmful effects of vaping, The Real Cost works to make those effects clear for their audience.The commercial emphasizes how vaping can deliver toxic metals and lead into people’s lungs (Nothing). The Real Cost dives deeper into this argument as it makes it clear how vapes can expose teens to nicotine, which can illicit cravings and spark other symptoms of addiction. Additionally,  The Real Cost points out how many companies target youths by enticing them with colorful vape packaging or flavors like bubblegum and watermelon that persuade teens into thinking about how good it may taste, likening it to candy, and not how harmful it actually is to their body. Through their commercial, The Real Cost makes it evident that the exigence of deterring teens from vaping because of how harmful it is, needs to be addressed and taken seriously. 

The rhetorical audience from The Real Cost’s commercial consist of teens, specifically ages 11-18 who vape, and who have watched the commercial either on the internet or on television. This is a rhetorical audience as The Real Cost can influence them to realize the harmful effects of vaping and urge them to stop doing it, which would support the exigence of decreasing teens who vape as they realize the detrimental outcomes. Not only can the commercial inform them on the harmful effects of vaping, but as the The Real Cost gained popularity, the FDA evaluated the effect of their campaign and found that it  will also “save them, their families, and the country more than $53 billion by reducing smoking-related costs”(Federal Drug Administration). Through their use of commercials, The Real Cost has influenced consumers to decrease their smoke related expenses.The audience has the ability to not only learn the harmful outcomes of vaping, but also steer clear of unnecessary spending. 

The constraints exemplified by the video produced by The Real Cost are the audience’s beliefs, medium, the dialogue of the commercial itself, and the length of the commercial. The struggle with a commercial like the one produced by The Real Cost, is that if the audience disagrees with it, they can easily mute it, or shut off the device that they’re watching it on. As distinguished in the article The influence of advertising creativity on the effectiveness of commercial and public service advertisements: A dual-task study, a public service announcement (PSA) like the one The Real Cost created, has a main goal of educating its audience: “Therefore, PSAs are primarily designed to teach and educate rather than generate profit”. Many people watch television to escape reality and their responsibilities, so they may be turned off, and subsequently turn off their electronic devices when they’re met with educational evidence they do not want to hear. 

The medium in regards to the informative video would be technology. Technology in this case refers to computers where people can see the commercial on Youtube, social media seen on smartphones, along with television where people can view the commercial on live TV along with streaming services. With technology such as these, teens are shown the PSA whether they like it or not as they may have to sit through it to continue watching their favorite show. However, there are some people who do not have access to technology. The Federal Communications Commission reports “… that approximately 19 million Americans-6 percent of the population-still lack access to fixed broadband service at threshold speeds” (Federal Communications Commission).  Although this is only a small percentage of Americans, it still creates a restraint on those who can watch the PSA. Additionally, even with technology, there is a chance that not every teen who vapes has seen this commercial, rendering it unknown and ineffective to them.  

The commercial itself, while concise and informative, may not have enough dialogue and evidence to convince the audience to stop vaping. Courtney Burell, the main actor in the commercial declares “But nothing is as scary as the facts… vaping can deliver toxic metals like nickel and lead into your lungs” (Nothing). While this information is frightening and may deter most people from vaping, the video does not give actual statistics or show the effect of one’s lungs after vaping, which could better persuade an audience. 

Unfortunately, having the video only viewed as a commercial is a constraint in and of itself. While people see it involuntarily before the content they want to watch, they can often easily skip it to continue watching their desired content. Additionally, the commercial is a mere 17 seconds long, which raises the question if that time will persuade someone enough to make a real change in their lifestyle. 

While only being 17 seconds long, The Real Cost works to deliver its message in a concise and effective way. The creators of the video met the rhetorical situation by making the decision to include a metal monster which appeals to one’s logic as it helps audience members visualize the frightening contents of what they’re ingesting, and how damaging it is to their body. The Real Cost continues to appeal to its audience with frightening audio and visuals that directly engage one’s feelings with the hope that they begin to better understand the health dangers that are brought on as a result of ingesting toxic metals from vaping. In addition, with this campaign being launched by the FDA, the creators made another rhetorical decision that allows the audience to associate credibility with the message given by The Real Cost.  Even with a brief video, The Real Cost markets its video on all social media platforms, streaming services and live TV to ensure that its message will reach as many people as possible. 

The blend of symbolization and information in the commercial “Nothing is as Scary as the Facts”, support The Real Cost’s message of the growing need for teens to stop vaping and educate those on the horrific effects it can have on one’s body. The Real Cost exemplifies constraints of audience’s beliefs, medium, the dialogue of the commercial itself, and major corporations pushing young teens to vape. This demonstrates to viewers the exigence of teens vaping and permanently destroying their lungs needs to be identified, addressed and prevented. In launching the “Nothing is as Scary as the Facts” commercial, The Real Cost has taken a major step in responding to this rhetorical situation by informing the audience on the harmful effects of vaping. The hope is that if it can change the minds of even a small percentage of teens, it has served its purpose.The video has likely changed people’s opinions on vaping. Even if the commercial only impacts a certain percentage of teens and can convince them to stop or prevent them from starting, it has served the purpose of reducing harm and positively impacts the health of society. Even preventing  a small percentage of teens from vaping is a major step in the right direction. 

Anna O’Sullivan

Dr. Peeples

Honors Academic Writing: Rhetorical Essay

October 5th 2021

American singer and songwriter, Pink, paid a touching tribute to her daughter in her acceptance speech at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. Pink’s acceptance gained the media’s attention and has been the topic in many news outlets and journal articles due to her moving words regarding self acceptance. Her six year old daughter, Willow Sage Hart, had an altercation with kids at her school about her appearance causing Willow to innocently confide in her mother on her way to school about feeling less than her peers. Little did Willow know, the conversation that took place would cause the music sensation to influence the lives of millions through her acceptance speech for her MTV music nomination. The message about self love, acceptance and staying true to yourself in a cruel world uplifted the mass number of fans and public media outlets watching in the crowd and over the television. Pink’s response to the power she holds in her speech is what is to be considered a “rhetorical situation”. In the limited time Pink was given to express her gratitude for receiving the award, she was able to communicate an effective and personalized message that would turn the heads of many and reflect an appropriate response to the exhaustive body image epidemic. 

Pink’s speech exhibits a clear response to her emotions after uncovering her six year old daughter Willow’s opinions about her unwanted appearance. This is what the author of the journal article, The Rhetorical Situation, would consider the exigence of the acceptance speech. Lloyd F. Bitzer defines the exigence of a rhetorical situation as “.. an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be done, a thing which is other than it should be.” (6). The urgency of this rhetorical situation would be the concern Pink’s six year old daughter felt over the opinions her classmates had about her appearance. Willow insisted while in the backseat of her mothers car that she was “the ugliest girl” she knew. This caused Pink to answer with a powerpoint presentation to vocalize the many successful superstars that never changed from other opinions about them. Pink’s response was to assure her daughter that to be unique is more rewarding then to assimilate to those around you; however, her incorporation of this personal experience shed light on the alarming topic of self insecurity that engulfs the lives of many. The generalized urgency and exigence of the speech is the body image epidemic. Due to the fact that most people have felt some sort of insecurity or vulnerability in their lives, the personal emotion Pink incorporated into her speech was the perfect way to relate to her audience. Lloyd F. Bitzer also exclaims how in order to be considered the exigence of a rhetorical situation, there needs to be a solution or a “positive modification” needs to be persuaded to the audience. Hence the mentioned necessity of “urgency” in rhetorical situations (The Rhetorical Situation 6).  Pink headlines many newspaper articles as a result of her personal exclamations made in her acceptance speech. In conclusion, Pink’s VMA speech contains  an appropriate exigence that helps execute the rhetorical situation. 

A prominent  reason there was a positive response to the exigence of the speech was due to the conversation about the body image epidemic. Stephanie Jones and Hilary Hughes-Decatur discuss in Speaking of bodies in justice-oriented, feminist teacher education, the obsession of body image in education as early as primary. The statement “A 6-year-old child writes a note to her father at home, “You are not fat. I am fat.” proves that at Pink’s daughters age, discussions of appearance and opinions form among the children. Another related example is “In a school conference about a third-grade girl’s progress in mathematics, teachers focus on her large body and perceived lack of femininity instead of her academic work.” (Stephanie Jones and Hilary Hughes-Decatur Speaking of bodies in justice-oriented, feminist teacher education). This part of the article most closely relates to when Pink says in her speech “But when people make fun of me, that’s what they use. They say I look like a boy or I’m too masculine or I have too many opinions, my body is too strong.” (TIME). Secondly, article Mirror, mirror: the body image epidemic, quotes states“…50 percent of girls in their early to middle teens are dissatisfied with their body shape. After comparing themselves with slim models, girls often feel a surge of depression, according to results of a study by University of Melbourne psychologists.” (Australian Business Intelligence). This evidence shows why the rhetorical situation gained a mass amount of attention and why Pink was able to persuade those in reacting to the exigence. Now knowing the battle these kids face in lacking self confidence, it is assured Pink chose an impactful topic to fill the time in her Video Music Award acceptance speech. The rhetorical situation she chose to conduct was able to influence a wide variety of people. In total, the urgency of the body image epidemic led Pink to cause an impactful chain reaction.

Pink being a pop music sensation, influencer and all around popular figure for many years, gains a mass amount of attention in her everyday life. Surrounding this popularity is a level of respect Pink radiates causing millions to be influenced by her words and actions. This allows this rhetorical situation to attract a large audience. In the journal article, The Rhetorical Situation, a rhetorical situation requires a response of change by the persons affected by the exigence (Bitzer 7). These people engaging in the discourse are considered the responders or audience, which brings purpose to the rhetorical existence. Pink’s audience was the attendees of the 2017 MTV video music awards, her daughter, her fans and anyone who read the media frenzy covering the acceptance speech. Her audience being broad allowed various forms of reactions to occur causing more of a discourse in action. According to the University of Arkansas School of Business, two types of audiences emerge. The first being the mediated audience; who the situation was intended to interact with. In this situation the mediated audience would be the audience within the MTV Video Music Award event. Now we additionally have the immediate audience, “the individuals literally listening to or reading the rhetor’s argument.” (University of Arkansas School of Business, walton.uark.edu). Since the show is broadcasted, the millions that chose to watch Pinks nomination were solely listening to the rhetoric of her speech. It is important to distinguish the two kinds of audiences because it shows there are two outlets to enhance the outcome of the response and it also is important to understand the context of the entire rhetorical situation.  The emotional persuasion through Pink’s acceptance speech allowed the wide audience to interpret in a similar manner to the urgency, leading her to a stronger outcome. 

Pink’s VMA acceptance speech shows constraints that affect the outcome of the discourse within the rhetorical situation. Firstly, the majority of acceptance speeches have time restrictions or limits. For example, the Oscars; one of the most prestigious honors in the film industry, only gives their nominees 45 seconds to speak aloud about their acceptance. The time restriction on Pink’s acceptance speech impaired her chances to excel linguistically. She starts her dialogue with “I know I don’t have a lot of time, but if I may tell you a quick story. (TIME)” With more time, Pink could have enlarged her exigence and audience for greater discourse. 

It is notable that Pink’s message did not fit into the typical outline of an acceptance speech, most being filled with thank you’s and honorable mentions. Kathleen M. Hall Jamieson challenges genres in literacy and the effects on the rhetorical situation when she states, “If rhetoric as discipline has been engaged in conscience generic classification from birth, is it not time that we asked what it was that we make generic distinctions? (162). The generic response to an acceptance speech is to thank the people who helped you and those who are important to you. It is assured that there is a number of peoples who loathe the acceptance speeches that come along with the televised event. Therefore, it must be mentioned that Pink did not follow the standard outline of an acceptance speech however did originate back to honorable mentions at the end of her message. Using the statement “And to all the artists here, I’m so inspired by all of you. Thank you for being your true selves and for lighting the way for us.”, Pink was able to persuade the audience of the urgency of her exigence with her emotional speech. SHe was also able to make her honorable mentions and align herself someway with the usual acceptance speech monologue (TIME). Pink’s ability to inspire her audience with other influential figures promoted the urgency of her message while fitting into the mold of a typical acceptance speech.

In conclusion, Pinks 2017 MTV Video Music Award acceptance speech was a fitting response to its rhetorical situation. This claim can be made due to the obvious components of exigence, audience and constraints that are requirements to be considered a rhetorical situation. Taking into consideration Lloyd Bitzer’s journal article, it shows that Pink’s personal conversation with her daughter and the urgency behind the body image epidemic served as the prominent imperfections that make up the exigence of the rhetorical situation. Furthermore, there is a wide range of responses to this rhetorical argument due to the audience surrounding the situation. With both the mediate and immediate audiences, Pink’s response to the rhetorical situation created what Bitzer refers to as “positive modifications” (The Rhetorical Situation 6). Finally, Pink’s speech contained constraints as well, such as the time restriction. Kathleen Jamiesons journal, argues how categorization of genre could have been a constraint to Pink’s acceptance speech due to the fact that it was an improper thank you and in reality was not a typical acceptance speech.  After researching the normalcy in kids feeling unworthy because of their bodies, it is obvious Pink chose an appropriate way to execute the speech to personalize her rhetorical situation. While most acceptance speeches can be qualified as rhetorical situations containing an exigence, audience and constraints, Pink’s acceptance speech was able to create a positive reaction that led to modifications aiding the “imperfection marked by urgency” (The Rhetorical Situation, Bitzer). Between the urgency in the exigence, the audience’s response and interpretation, constraints of time restrictions and finally, the discourse following a topic like body image, Pink’s MTV acceptance speech was an appropriate response to the rhetorical situation. 

Work cited 

Bitzer, Lloyd F. “The Rhetorical Situation.” Philosophy & Rhetoric, vol. 25, Penn State University Press, 1992, pp. 1–14, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40237697.

Jamieson, Kathleen M. Hall. “Generic Constraints and the Rhetorical Situation.” Philosophy & Rhetoric, vol. 6, no. 3, Penn State University Press, 1973, pp. 162–70, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40236849.

Jones, Stephanie, and Hilary Hughes-Decatur. “Speaking of bodies in justice-oriented, feminist teacher education.” Journal of Teacher Education, vol. 63, no. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2012, pp. 51+. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A277342532/BIC?u=cofc_main&sid=bookmark-BIC&xid=a3005807. Accessed 7 Oct. 2021.

“Mirror, mirror: the body image epidemic.” Australasian Business Intelligence, 20 Aug. 2001, p. 1008232i5740. Gale In Context: Environmental Studies, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A77331878/GRNR?u=cofc_main&sid=bookmark-GRNR&xid=d37c3edf. Accessed 8 Oct. 2021.

Zorthian, Julia. “’We Don’t Change.’ Read Pink’s Emotional VMA’s Speech About Body Image and Her Daughter.” TIME Magazine, 28 Aug. 2017. 

 

Rhetorical Situation Analysis

During the 2018 Midterm elections, one of the biggest elections occurring was the race for Governor of Florida. The two main opponents for the race were Democrat Andrew Gillum and Republican Ron DeSantis. According to Politico’s documentation, DeSantis ended up winning the election by 32,463 votes (Florida Governor Election Results). While campaigning, DeSantis released a campaign video with his wife Casey. In the video, DeSantis is seen teaching his two young children about Donald Trump. The video starts out by Casey explaining how many assume her husband is “all Trump,” but then says he is more than that. Then, the video pans to DeSantis building a pretend border wall with his daughter. After that, DeSantis can be seen reading a book about Trump while reciting Trump’s catchphrase, “You’re Fired!” The next clip is of DeSantis teaching his daughter how to say, “Make America Great Again.” The final clip of DeSantis with his children is of DeSantis leaning over his son’s crib and saying, “Bigly.” This video was meant to show DeSantis’ loyalty to the president at the time. One can claim that the campaign ad was effective because DeSantis was elected governor.

To prove whether the campaign was effective or not, we first need to define a rhetorical situation. Lloyd Bitzer defines a rhetorical situation as “a complex persons, events, objects, and relations presenting an actual or potential exigence which can be completely or partially removed with discourse, introduced into the situation, can so constrain human decision or action as to bring about significant modification of the exigence” (6). Examples of these can include commercials, political advertisements, and speeches. A rhetorical situation is also made up of three components: an exigence, an audience, and constraints. An exigence is an obstacle or something waiting to be done, while an audience is who sees the message or is persuaded by it, and a constraint is a part of the situation that can influence the exigence (Bitzer 6-8).

The exigence for the campaign advertisement is that DeSantis wanting to prove his loyalty for Trump during the 2018 midterm election. This approval can be defined as the exigence because DeSantis wanted Trump to endorse him in order for Floridians to vote for DeSantis during the 2018 midterm elections. The primary audience for the video would be Floridians deciding who to vote for governor. According to the Florida Division of Elections, sixty-three percent of Floridians voted in the 2018 midterms, which is more compared to the fifty-one percent who voted during the 2014 midterms. However, in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, voter turnout was seventy-five percent and seventy-seven percent respectively (Voter Turnout). One of the reasons voter turnout was higher than normal in 2018 was the fact that a new governor was being elected. The incumbent, Rick Scott, was ending his term for governor. Another cause of higher turnout could be the youth in Florida entering the polls. It is noted that the younger generations are becoming more politically active, leading them to want to make a direct impact on their state politics (Poll).

For the campaign video, there are several constraints. Some of these include the video being posted on social media, the use of pathos in the video itself, reactions from both GOP members and party outsiders, and the power President Trump had on DeSantis. The use of social media and technology plays an ever-increasing role in political elections. This is because social media allows people from across the globe to easily access anything posted online. This ad was posted on YouTube, a video sharing app and website created in 2005. The purpose of the platform is to allow content creators to post videos that can be connected to subscribers across the world. Having the ad be posted onto YouTube, rather than Facebook allows younger generations to have access to candidates. The use of social media can constrain the effectiveness of the ad if those with differing political opinions from DeSantis view the video. Furthermore, social media and YouTube allows the creator of the video to use more creative techniques when campaigning, which might not be able to be used in a more formal setting, such as a commercial on TV. Social media would also allow users to critique DeSantis’ video clearly. As mentioned previously, youth voter turnout can significantly change voting results. Moreover, people of all ages use YouTube and social media, even though it is intended for younger audiences.

In the video, DeSantis puts a prime focus on his two young children. This can appeal to the audience because of pathos, which is when emotions are used to persuade an audience. Children can easily make the audience feel something, for everyone loves children and older voters with children or grandchildren can feel and see the love DeSantis shows his children. This can persuade them into voting for DeSantis rather than another candidate.

Following the release of the campaign ad, like all political content, there were mixed reviews. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, the video was “the most bizarre 2018 campaign ad” (Bort). This opinion is shared with those who oppose Trump or DeSantis’ views. An example of this includes the comments made on the video where viewers argued that they thought the video was a skit from Saturday Night Live instead of an actual campaign video (Ron DeSantis Has Released). On the other hand, sources such as the Tampa Bay Times touted the video as “lighthearted” and completely different from his previous ads (Mahoney). The variation in reactions can show how polarized the audience was, which makes sense, considering the slimmer margin of the 2018 Florida gubernational race.

The most important constraint of the campaign ad was Donald Trump and his sphere of influence. At the time, the GOP had the Senate majority, while the Democrats had the House majority. The Supreme Court also had a conservative majority following the swearing in of Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. The GOP majority is important to consider when discussing the ad because this widespread conservative ruling led there to be more GOP candidates wanting to enter office in positions such as Congressmen or Governor. This increase led to Trump giving endorsements to candidates who were public supporters of Trump. These endorsements led more Trump-backed GOP members to be elected. Although public endorsements are common, Trump’s endorsements were important. This is because Trump did not follow traditional Republican narratives and created his own form of the GOP. The modern GOP primarily focuses on radicalism and eliminating the Democratic left from power, a stark difference from how previous Republicans have acted with their opponents.

In Florida specifically, the GOP has managed to gain more power during and post-Trump Era. This has led to candidates such as DeSantis and Congressmen Matt Gaetz to spread what can be quoted as “Trumpism” or the former president’s beliefs in general. During the 2016 election, Florida’s love for Trump can be seen with Trump winning the state by 119,770 votes (Florida Election Results). Trump’s endorsement for DeSantis is mentioned in the ad, but can be considered a constraint because without Trump, DeSantis would most likely not be as spoken out about his opinions without having a prominent figure support him. With DeSantis essentially proving his loyalty for Trump in the ad, it shows the audience that DeSantis will continue to support Trump far into the future, leading Trump supporters in Florida wanting to vote for DeSantis.

To conclude, DeSantis’ 2018 campaign ad can be seen as effective through his use of upholding GOP core values and supporting former president Trump. The use of social media also plays a pivotal point in DeSantis’ success because it allowed people across the world to view DeSantis as a family-oriented person, while also describing his loyalty to Trump. Having the precedent of a Republican governor aided DeSantis because he was following the pattern, instead of disrupting it. Although DeSantis has been highly criticized for his actions as governor, his campaign ad remains effective.

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