This hard-hitting Covid-19 vaccine advertisement caught the attention of many Charlotteans as well as an expansive online audience. Sunday, September 19th a truck displaying the words “Don’t get vaccinated” drove around Charlotte, NC during the Carolina Panthers football game. Upon seeing this abnormal slogan, the audience was drawn to the advertiser, a faux company by the name of Wilmore funeral home. A rhetorical situation such as this appeals to the audience’s emotions in attempts to persuade them to get vaccinated.

The faux funeral home website: www.wilmorefuneralhome.com consists of eleven words and one link in the center with the words “Get vaccinated now. If not, see you soon” painted in white across the black screen. Upon clicking the text in the center, the viewer is directed to the StarMed website, an urgent care facility in Charlotte that administers the Covid-19 vaccine. Many well known websites including People magazine, the Washington Post, and USA Today, wrote about this ad campaign using a shock factor and a bit of dark humor to grab the attention of their audience.  The ad campaign director, David Oakley feels that “conventional advertising is not working [and] regular messages … just kind of blend in” (Ebrahimji). So Oakley decided to use “a different perspective [one that] kind of shocks people into thinking, ‘Holy moly, man.’” (Ebrahimji).

Lloyd F. Bitzer describes a rhetorical situation as “a natural context of persons, events, objects, relations, and an exigence which strongly invites utterance” (4). Rhetorical situations are ones that expect a reaction or change from their audience. This audience, according to Bitzer, “consists only of those persons who are capable of being influenced by discourse and of being mediators of change” (7). The audience only includes those who can be influenced by the rhetoric. Bitzer declares exigence as “any imperfection marked by urgency” and specifies that rhetorical exigence must be modifiable (6). And according to Bitzer, the constraints on this rhetoric are “made up of persons, events, objects, and relations which are part of the situation” (8). These constraints could consist of beliefs, traditions, cultures, documents, or motives, and “have the power to constrain decision and action needed to modify the exigence” (8). Constraints serve as influences on the way the audience reacts to the exigence. 

The audience for this campaign is both the vaccinated and unvaccinated people of Charlotte. However, both parts of this audience can react in different ways. The unvaccinated people can be impacted by this harsh reality, and choose to get vaccinated or not. The vaccinated people, like many did, can repost an image of this truck on social media. This would spread awareness in unvaccinated Covid-19 death statistics, in an attempt to get those unvaccinated to consider vaccinating themselves or their children.

One form of exigence in this rhetorical situation is the vaccination status of the audience. This aligns with Bitzer’s definition of exigence because it is modifiable. If one member of the audience decides to get vaccinated, this exigence has changed. David Oakley expressed that the whole campaign will be worthwhile even if just one person decides to get vaccinated as a result (Ebrahimji). 

Another form of exigence in this situation is the rate at which people are dying of Covid-19. And despite the efforts being put to end this virus, the “current epidemic trends still remain relatively high levels in the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19” (Wang). This statistic, and more specifically the rate at which unvaccinated people are dying, are forms of exigence because the rhetorical situation is ultimately trying to change this. As of September, 2021 “Unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated” (Romo). This suits the exigence definition as put by Bitzer because if unvaccinated people understand their odds against Covid they may reconsider getting the vaccine. Some people refuse to get the vaccine because they think that they are healthy enough to survive even if they got Covid. But maybe this bold attempt for attention will at least make some who are weary of vaccination, look into it a bit further. In addition to decreased mortality rates, fully vaccinated people are also five times less likely to get infected with Covid (Romo).

The vaccination status in Charlotte is also an example of exigence. This can affect whether people choose to get vaccinated. If everyone they know has been vaccinated, it may make them more inclined to get vaccinated themselves. However, if the people around them haven’t gotten vaccinated, they may be less inclined to get vaccinated. This advertisement was created in an attempt to convince the people of Charlotte to get vaccinated, because the vaccination numbers in North Carolina are lower than the country’s average with “roughly 48.8% of residents … fully vaccinated” (Ebrahimji). 

A constraint of this situation is past experiences with both Covid-19 and with vaccinations. Usually when someone has been severely impacted by Covid, their friends and family are more likely to get vaccinated because they see the first hand impacts. This makes an advertisement about Covid mortality rates more effective for people in that category. If someone has had a bad experience with a past vaccination, they may be less likely to get the Covid vaccine, even despite the statistics. These are constraints because they have the power to constrain the audiences’ decisions.

Another constraint is the audiences’ trust in the government and in science. The audience’s trust in the government constrains their decision in whether or not to get the vaccine. If some people fully trust the government, they may be less hesitant to get vaccinated. And people who don’t like the president or the government may not have faith in the vaccine or trust the statistics that are being advertised. Same goes for science. Even despite the CDC guidelines, Covid protocols, and case statistics, if the audience has a lack of trust in the government, they might either not trust the vaccine content or the numbers of either Covid cases/deaths. 

Another constraint is the Covid-based laws in each area and the longing for normalcy. More businesses opening up and life “returning to normal” is a very common goal regardless of personal beliefs on vaccinations. If events like concerts for example, require vaccination prior to entry, people may be more likely to vaccinate. This applies for other businesses as well. If your favorite restaurant cuts capacity in half and now you can’t even get a reservation, or the football games you love going to now can’t have an audience, this may make you rethink your vaccination decision for no other reason than to get life back to normal. This longing for normalcy is something that is very common and can constrain someone’s decision to get vaccinated.

Another constraint is the awareness of the influx of people to funeral homes. This constraint is a motive of vaccination. This campaign allows people to recognize something they may not have thought about before. Funeral homes across the country have had to deal with the repercussions of the unvaccinated’s choice. They have to truck away corpses from hospitals and cremate or bury them. Funeral Director Patrick Kearns says that death rate is just too high and that “there’s no way [they] can bury or cremate them fast enough” (Fueler). This harsh reality, one that is shocking and terrifying, has not often been shared. Using a funeral home as the method of communicating this message is a powerful and unique way to reach their audience. People working in funeral homes are aware of this increase as well as people who have lost someone during this time. But this campaign seeks out those who have yet to think about this possible “side effect” of vaccination or lack thereof. This awareness can impact someone’s decision to get vaccinated by offering this perspective shift.

This rhetorical situation in the form of a harsh vaccination campaign in Charlotte, NC has people double-taking. In an attempt to avoid blending in with typical vaccine campaigns, ad campaign director David Oakley put together this faux funeral home advertisement telling people not to get vaccinated, this implying that doing so would lead to death, which would be good for their business. This dark humor is effective because it makes people think more deeply about the repercussions of not getting vaccinated. And although inevitably some will find this as an offensive or cheap attempt at promoting vaccination, I think this will challenge the ideas of the unvaccinated and make them think at least a bit more about their choice. This risky Covid-19 campaign is one Bitzer would define as a rhetorical situation because it attempts to convince the audience to get vaccinated by appealing to their emotions.

In her speech at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019, Greta Thunberg masterfully critiques the actions or lack thereof of world leaders regarding climate change. In this rhetorical situation Greta exclaims, “This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!” (NPR 2). In the four and a half minutes she is speaking, Greta Thunberg makes a persuasive argument to her intended audience. 

In order to discuss Greta’s 2019 UN Climate Action Summit Speech as a rhetorical situation and to fully analyze it, what a rhetorical situation consists of must be outlined. According to Bitzer’s “The Rhetorical Situation”, “the presence of rhetorical discourse obviously indicates the presence of a rhetorical situation” (Bitzer 1). Following Bitzer’s definition of a rhetorical situation, the situation must have an exigence, an audience, and constraints. The exigence is the issue or catalyst prompting the author of the text to utilize rhetoric to solve the said exigence. The audience in the rhetorical situation must be a group of people able to be persuaded by the rhetoric used in order to take some kind of action regarding the exigence of the rhetorical situation. The constraints in a rhetorical situation can be defined as anything that hinders either the author of the text of the rhetorical situation or anything that hinders the audience from having the desired effect of the text in the rhetorical situation. Some examples of constraints could be beliefs, religion, disabilities, socioeconomic status, or anything else that could impact the audience’s receptiveness to the text of the rhetorical situation. 

In relation to Greta Thunberg’s speech at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019, the exigence is the lack of action and responsibility taken by world leaders to combat climate change. Thunberg specifies that “for more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear” (NPR 8) and in an accusatory statement claims “if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil” (NPR 13). This exigence leads back to the growing and impending issue of climate change, inaction on the part of world leaders, governments, and large corporations, the fear of the future, and the young people who must bear the consequences. When discussing climate issues and the inaction or lack of accountability, it is vital to consider that “[m]easurement is a first step toward accountability, and measurement needs constant improvement. But measurement in the absence of accountability is meaningless, especially in situations where many people are skeptical of cause and effect” (Kamarck). The younger generation’s fear of the future of their home planet can be summarized by Greta’s stinging section of her speech where she says, “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” (NPR 4). 

The rhetorical audience in the text of Greta Thunberg’s Speech at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019 would be the members of the UN and different representatives of world governments and world leaders who can implement the changes to combat climate change that she feels are necessary. They are her rhetorical situation’s audience because they have the potential to be persuaded by her speech and to implement change. She points out the fact that “This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!” (NPR 2). Her claim here is that she should not be lecturing the group who is supposed to be making the world a better place for her generation. They should be making the changes on their own and the fact that a young girl has to leave school to lecture government officials so that they will value the planet they live on more than economic growth is embarrassing for them. 

There are many constraints involved in this specific rhetorical situation. First, Greta Thunberg herself must be examined for constraints that could impact her speech. Her disability must be taken into account and how that can be both a negative and a positive constraint. “Inspiring what has become a worldwide movement no doubt requires a degree of “thinking outside the box,” a common attribute among folks with Aspie (a more feel-good way of saying Asperger’s) profiles.” (Hou). Her age is also a constraint that should be considered. While some of Greta’s audience may look upon her condescendingly due to the fact that she is a member of a much younger generation than their own, others may find it inspiring and it might prompt them to listen to her more intently. 

Additionally, the constraints of Greta’s rhetorical audience must be considered. Since the majority of the UN and government officials, world leaders, and politicians attending the Climate Action Summit are considerably older than Greta, there is a generational disconnect in ideas, beliefs, feelings toward religion, and priorities. While Greta is aware that she and many others will populate the planet for the next several decades, many of the members of her audience will not live to see the impacts of climate change in the next thirty to fifty years. The priorities of her audience members may involve economic growth, stock market growth, innovation, and what they think will benefit their nation or group they are representing most. 

Greta Thunberg utilizes many different forms of rhetoric to propose a fitting response to the situation. Her repetition of the phrase “How dare you!” (NPR) emphasizes the rage and frustration she has towards the exigence of the rhetorical situation. Not only does she appeal to the emotions of her audience members through charged language and accusatory statements like “How dare you!” (NPR), but she also utilizes logic and science to appeal to the opposing side of her rhetorical audience. She mentions the science behind the exigence and why action must be taken. 

The way in which Thunberg gives her speech orally due to her autism adds to her rhetoric. She is very unapologetic and angsty in the way she speaks to these world leaders, which is shocking. To watch a very young, petite girl speaking to world leaders using phrases such as “How dare you” (NPR) and gives her audience of powerful world leaders grief. Her clear and almost angry speaking voice adds to the language she chooses to use and acts as a certain kind of rhetoric in itself. 

In conclusion, Greta Thunberg masterfully critiques the actions or lack thereof of world leaders regarding climate change. In this rhetorical situation Greta’s exigence is the growing fear of the future young generations are experiencing due to the inaction of world leaders to combat climate change. Her rhetorical audience are the world leaders, politicians, and government officials at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019 because she would like them to respond to her plea for help. Finally, her constraints include her autism, her age, her audience’s biases, beliefs, socioeconomic status, and the generational gap between them.

Works Cited

Bitzer, Lloyd F. “The Rhetorical Situation.” Philosophy & Rhetoric, vol. 25, 1992, pp. 1–14. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40237697. 

Hou, Chia-Yi. “How Greta Thunberg’s Autism Helped Make Her the World’s Most Important Person for 2020.” TheHill, 21 Jan. 2020, https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/468091-opinion-activist-greta-thunbergs-autism-doesnt-hold-her-back. 

Kamarck, Elaine. “The Challenging Politics of Climate Change.” Brookings, Brookings, 23 Sept. 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-challenging-politics-of-climate-change/. 

Staff, NPR. “Transcript: Greta Thunberg’s Speech at the U.N. Climate Action Summit.” NPR, NPR, 23 Sept. 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/09/23/763452863/transcript-greta-thunbergs-speech-at-the-u-n-climate-action-summit. 

Infamous writer Virginia Woolf lived and responded to one of the most socially contentious eras to date. Women’s rights and feminism were at the center of attention in Britain throughout the early 20th century. Female universities and higher education institutes were beginning to gain more traction and influence, largely due to the guidance of figures such as Woolf who traveled to these universities to further ignite women’s movements. Her essay “A Room of One’s Own” is based on various lectures she gave at Newnham and Girton College. Throughout the piece she uses language to persuade her audience of the feminnist agenda. This style, according to those such as Lloyd F. Bitzer, constitutes a response to a rhetorical situation. 

More precisely, Bitzer determines a rhetorical situation to be a syndicate of factors including individuals, locations, occurrences, and connections that can be manipulated to alter human decision (Bitzer 6). Many factors contribute to adequate rhetoric, namely “there are three constituents of any rhetorical situation” (Bitzer 6). Exigence represents the set of events, coincidence, or circumstance that is responsible for the rhetorical situation in question. However, factors such as death, winter, or natural disasters cannot be considered exigence according to Bitzer because they cannot be changed with any amount of rhetoric, limiting exigence to variable factors (Bitzer 6). 

In addition to exigence, the factor audience is also considered by Bitzen to be a key component of rhetorical situations (Bitzen 6). He argues that there can be no rhetoric without an audience to hear or be influenced by the discourse (Bitzen 7). Poetry and scientific writing for example, lack the qualifications of rhetoric because they do not require an audience to impact to serve their intended purpose (Bitzen 7). 

Thirdly, constraints make up the final constituent of Bitzer’s rhetorical situation. This category includes “persons, events, objects, and relations to which are parts of the situation because they have the power to constrain decision and action needed to modify the exigence” (Bitzen 8). Any means of logic such as “beliefs, attitudes, documents, facts, traditions, images, interests, motives, and the like” (Bitzen 8) have the tendency to enact changes on rhetoric. 

Exigence, audience, and constraints can be found throughout Virginia Woolf’s essay “A Room of One’s Own”. She uses rhetoric to inspire women to participate in feminist movements and take action towards sexist standards. The exigence present in this piece is the discriminatory and patriarchal views held in 19th century Britain. It was rare for a woman to escape a painfully youthful marriage and life of domestic servitude even in the off chance that they had access to a fundamental education. In Woolf’s time, women lacked the right to vote, divorce, have possessions, or custody of their children (Murray).This constitutes as exigence because sexism is considered to be “changeable by discourse” (Bitzen 8) as Woolf showed via her work against these beliefs. Despite her fortune of being born into both a privileged and free-thinking family, these laws and social norms limited Woolf’s abilities to participate and contribute to society as well as to act on her own volition (“A Room of One’s Own.”). These oppressive philosophies that women were subjected to regarding equality of the sexes provided the exigence for the author to construct and share her rhetoric with the goal of furthering the feminist movement. 

This objective of heightening femimist morale required the proper audience. Woolf’s audience at the time of “The Room of One’s Own” construction was largely wealthier and more educated women that had the liberty to participate in the women’s rights movements (Bimberg). University education was not accessible to the general public, especially to most women (“Women’s Rights .”). Woolf utilized this fact to deliver lectures and introduce her philosophy to a demographic that had a more substantial chance to make the societal changes that she wished to see. Apart from the initiative of inspiring action within her audience, the author also chose an audience that would listen to what she had to say. Men, particularly in powerful positions, were not apt to accept or take the feminist movement seriously and certainly not at face value (Stetson). Therefore, had Woolf not directed her attention towards a female audience, the influence of her work would have been limited. 

Limitations in the form of constraints are of abundance within this Virginia Woolf essay as they are throughout many feminist works. The era in which this piece came to fruition is itself a constraint. The audience, the polarizing themes, the media, motives, and widely held societal beliefs and norms all curtail Woolf’s rhetoric. As a result of the common thought regarding gender roles in this time, the audience that Woolf could successfully appeal to was fairly minimal. She tended to acknowledge this and even preface her work with the admittance that “[a]t any rate, when a subject is highly controversial–and any question about sex is that–one cannot hope to tell the truth.  One can only show how one came to hold whatever opinion one does hold. One can only give one’s audience the chance of drawing their own conclusions as they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncrasies of the speaker. “ (Woolf, A Room of One’s Own). The medial representation of Woolf’s ideas in the format of lectures at female colleges, books, poems, and other means of literature also offer a constraint on her rhetoric. People, namely male British politicians, would have to voluntarily expose themselves to Woolf’s femimist ideology which is not an action that was taken often. Yet, those who tried to avoid her influence ultimately had the most power regarding women’s liberation. 

Constraints exist in an alternate form than just limitations within this essay. The analogy “two sides to every coin” can easily be applied to the factor of audience as well as polarizing themes utilized by Woolf. The predominantly female audience that the author appealed to may have not have always encompassed influential male figures, however, Woolf was able to inspire great actions of change amongst the women lectured. The media of lecture enabled women to be exposed to her ideals, regardless of whether they had adequate access to her literature. There were certainly motives against her, but she was able to fuel the flames of extreme feminist sentiment and determination throughout Britain which ultimately motivated her work. Women across Britain who idolized Woolf and her beliefs provided a constraint by initiating her agenda, thereby heightening the impact of her work. The same exigence that infringed upon women’s lives were the same ones that sparked outrage and resulted in movements of change. Woolf’s ability to resonate with this attitude was one of her greatest rhetorical constraints. 

Analysis of constraints, exigence and audience provides an effective way to access the success of Virginia Woolf’s rhetoric within “A Room of One’s Own”. She often mentions elaborate but relatable situations such as when she discusses a rather poor dinner at an older woman’s house and then juxtaposes the situation with an alternative given that women lacked suppression. The reasoning behind the poor dinner is the woman’s lack of a way to provide for herself and the lack of opportunities in her youth. Woolf argues that “[n]ow if she had gone into business; had become a manufacturer of artificial silk or a magnate on the Stock Exchange; if she had left two or three hundred thousand pounds to Fernham, we could have been sitting at our ease to-night and the subject of our talk might have been archaeology, botany, anthropology, physics, the nature of the atom, mathematics, astronomy, relativity, geography. If only Mrs Seton and her mother and her mother before her had learnt the great art of making money and had left their money, like their fathers and their grandfathers before them, to found fellowships and lectureships and prizes and scholarships appropriated to the use of their own sex, we might have dined very tolerably up here alone off a bird and a bottle of wine; we might have looked forward without undue confidence to a pleasant and honourable lifetime spent in the shelter of one of the liberally endowed professions” (Woolf). Rhetoric of this kind is especially impactful to Woolf’s largely female audience  of “A Room of One’s Own” who have found themselves in or are seemingly destined to live out the first scenario. This then allows Woolf to insert a far better situation given that changes to the exigence are fought for and made. The image above of a suffragette group at Newnham College which is where one of the lectures that inspired “A Room of One’s Own” was given. Woolf’s rhetoric was remarkably effective regarding the suffrage movement, in fact women were granted equal right to the ballet a year after this lecture was given (“Women’s Rights .”). 

The rhetoric in a “Room of One’s Own” was able to outlive the suffrage movement and its influence provided a continuity from 20th century to present day. As shown, she was granted a TIMES cover in 1937. This edition actually portrayed Woolf in a negative light. Disdain was expressed upon her lack of children, “careless” dress, and weathered appearance (“Time Magazine Cover: Virginia Woolf – Apr. 12, 1937.” ). Although she was portrayed poorly, this was a result of her successful rhetoric and influence concerning women’s equality to which male editors of Time were providing commentary on. Woolf often called out highly regarded men on their sexist statements. In “A Room of One’s Own” she mentions how the Pope stated that “most women have no character at all” (Woolf) and how Napoleon “thought them to be incapable” (Woolf). She occasionally went further such as in the case of Professor von X who wrote the “work entitled THE MENTAL, MORAL, AND PHYSICAL INFERIORITY OF THE FEMALE SEX” (Woolf). Woolf’s response within “A Room of One’s Own” was an inquisition as to what made him regard women so lowly. She considered that maybe it was because he was unattractive, or maybe his wife was cheating, or maybe because he was bullied as a child for his unsightly appearance (Woolf). While this rhetoric successfully appealed to the suffragette and feminist portion of her audience, men in power felt threatened by women’s rights advances and this language resulting in pieces such as this magazine. Fast forward to almost a century later where Woolf was granted another Time cover. This time as one of 2020s one-hundred women of the year. This time luxurious descriptions of her work and importance to women’s equality accompanied a youthful image of the writer. Now recognized as a “political visionary” and “one of the boldest novelists of the 20th century” (Wittman), her quotes and ideas act as constraints and often make their way into contemporary feminist movements. She has places in the works of characters from Toni Morrison to Samuel Beckett. Morrison in particular has metamorphosed Woolf’s rhetoric and continued to apply them to women’s struggles (Le Guin). Virginia Woolf’s formal legacy lives on as a result of her incredibly successful rhetoric within “A Room of One’s Own” and critical influence on what she believed in. 

Time articles and existing in the veins of some of the most prolific writers to date are clearly monumental displays of successful rhetoric. However, Woolf’s rhetorical success is probably more commonly found and utilized by the average citizen. Although her original audience and aim of influence was white, wealthy, and educated women, her message now lacks many of the constraints that accompanied older literature. People no longer need to attend her lectures or be able to afford books to be exposed to her message. Academic resources have largely publicly published her works. The result has been an expansion of her rhetoric throughout continents, sexes, races, ages, and economic classes. Pictured is a protester in a contemporary women’s march in response to the inauguration of ex-President Donald Trump. Powerful women, including Virginia Woolf are present on the poster. Although women in America now have the right to vote, the exigence sexism persists. As does Woolf’s rhetoric. Her messages of untapped potential that are so often referenced in discussions pertaining to immigrants, under-education, and poverty can be seen as derivatives from this particular essay. Woolf presents the character of Shakespeare’s sister who surpassed his own brilliance but was unable to pursue her potential and ultimately killed herself, depriving the world of her contributions (Woolf). Parallel logic such as this example, reference to her rhetoric, and evolution of the three rhetorical constituents reinforce the efficacy of Woolf. 

“A Room of One’s Own” has its own place in both history and the contemporary. The piece as analyzed with rhetorical situation constituents in mind has demonstrated compelling influence upon feminist mindsets and movements. Virginia Woolf’s utilization of her audience, understanding of her exigence, and manipulation of her constraints have resulted in consistency of her image and legacy in regards to literature and women’s rights movements. From inspiring the suffragettes to the women protesting restrictive healthcare, the women advocating for racial equality, the women going to bat against powerful men and corrupt systems, Virginia Woolf’s rhetoric has stayed strong for a century and promises another. 

Works Cited 

Bimberg, Christiane. “The Poetics of Conversation in Virginia Woolf’s a Room of One’s Own.” Connotations, 23 Sept. 2019, https://www.connotations.de/article/christiane-bimberg-the-poetics-of-conversation-in-virginia-woolfs-a-room-of-ones-own/.

Bitzer , Lloyd F. “The Rhetorical Situation.” Philosophy and Rhetoric , vol. 25, 1992, pp. 1–14. 

Le Guin , Ursula K. “On Virginia Woolf’s Enduring Influence.” Medium, The Paris Review , 3 Nov. 2020, https://thebookquarium.medium.com/on-virginia-woolfs-enduring-influence-e5ef41bb5399.

Murray, Jenni. “History – British History in Depth: 20th Century Britain: The Woman’s Hour.” BBC, BBC, 3 Mar. 2011, https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/jmurray_01.shtml.

“A Room of One’s Own.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Room-of-Ones-Own.

Schneir, Miriam. “Feminism: the Essential Historical Writings .” Pascal, 1972, https://pascal-cofc.library.cofc.edu/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma991002521729705613&context=L&vid=01PASCAL_COFC%3ACOFC&lang=en&search_scope=Books_Articles_and_More&adaptor=Local+Search+Engine&tab=Books_Articles_and_More&query=any%2Ccontains%2CA+room+of+ones+own&mode=basic.

Stetson, Dorothy. “The Limits of Movement in Politics: The Case of British Feminism .” ProQuest, Sept. 1977, https://www.proquest.com/docview/63827131/DCC772F5C10744ECPQ/1.

“Time Magazine Cover: Virginia Woolf – Apr. 12, 1937.” Time, Time Inc., http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19370412,00.html.

“Virginia Woolf.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Virginia-Woolf.

Wittman, Lucas. “Virginia Woolf: 100 Women of the Year.” Time, Time, 5 Mar. 2020, https://time.com/5792713/virginia-woolf-100-women-of-the-year/.

“Women’s Rights .” The National Archives, https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/citizenship/brave_new_world/women.htm.

Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own. First ed., Hogarth Press , 1929.

Through building an intimate relationship, one’s significant other often becomes a part of one’s everyday routine and overtime, the center of one’s world. When love relationships reach this level of intimacy, the partners become physically and emotionally essential to one another. However, as a result of such deep love and attachment, this makes the mere thought of losing one’s partner unfathomable; the reality, on the other hand, encompasses the most unbearable grief, more than one could have ever previously imagined. Vanessa Bryant’s connection to her beloved husband and one of the NBA’s most idolized basketball players in history, Kobe Bryant, and her dear daughter, Gigi Bryant, had a pull like gravity on her; her relationships with them kept her grounded. Vanessa’s life fell into the orbit of Kobe and Gigi’s life making her world go round. On Sunday, January 26th, 2020, Vanessa’s universe came to a crashing halt as she faced the news that the lives of Kobe and Gigi were taken in a fatal helicopter crash. In response to this devastating news, Vanessa categorizes her reaction as the uttermost feeling of shock and grief that she has ever experienced. 

The path of healing after loss can be one of the most challenging recoveries among humanity. Within this healing process, calls for comfort and closure among all affected by the loss at hand become essential to achieve feelings of peace. On February, 24th, 2020, about a month after the crash, Vanessa was invited with open arms to speak at the memorial service in dedication to Kobe and Gigi at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The location of the memorial holds great significance in the sense that Kobe played the majority of his seasons as a Los Angeles Laker there, further being named “the House that built Kobe.” In the arena filled to max capacity with 20,000 mourners, Vanessa managed to deliver powerful and emotional words in aims to achieve closure for herself and for those struggling to find peace after experiencing the tragic loss. 

In this context, Lloyd F. Bitzer’s analytical piece, “The Rhetorical Situation”, can be directly applied to explain Bryant’s pursuit of providing the mourning community with her heartfelt speech. According to Bitzer,  “rhetoric is a mode of altering reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action” as a result of a circumstance that prompts a rhetorical action or response (4). In other words, a rhetorical situation arises from a certain context or situation that prompts necessary corresponding action. As noted by Bitzer, the rhetorical situation is composed of three essential parts: exigence, audience, and constraints. Exigence is an urgent calling of action as a result to a given situation that can be altered by discourse. In order to be considered rhetorical, Bitzer emphasizes that exigence must be able to be changed by discourse (6). The second constituent of rhetoric, audience, refers to the individuals who are being manipulated by the rhetorical situation with the potential of being altered by discourse (7). To cap off the components of exigence and audience, the third component, constraints, refers to the limitations of achieving success through the rhetorical technique which can root from the rhetor and/or the audience (Bitzer 8). When analyzing Bryant’s speech as rhetoric, this situation mirrors Bitzer’s theory and includes components that align with exigence, audience, and constraints.

Bryant holds a very complex position as the speaker of her emotionally heavy text; from one angle, Vanessa is facing and managing her own grief of losing her beloved husband and daughter. At the same time, Vanessa is providing positive words of comfort to those experiencing the same loss. In aims to achieve closure for herself and for others, Vanessa sets forth to deliver her speech. With that being said, the exigence of this situation stands as the calling for closure among the people affected by Kobe and Gigi’s death as a result of the tragic helicopter crash that cost their lives. The purpose of Vanessa’s speech is to achieve a sense of peace within herself and to console others. According to a clinical psychologist who specializes in traumatic loss and worked with the Bryant family to overcome this tragedy in their lives, the “memorial service to honor Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant could help Vanessa Bryant deal with her grief” (Scribner). In addition, LaDonna McMurray Gaddes shines light on Vanessa Bryant’s decision to speak at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in front of thousands of people mourning the same loss as her. Through illustrating change reactions in terms of loss, Gaddes provides insight as to how Bryant’s delivery of speech was emotionally necessary as it stood as “a need to complete the grief process [for herself and for the mourning audience] so that closure takes place” among all parties (Gaddes). Regardless of how emotionally challenging it was to speak about this raw wound, Vanessa knew giving her speech would be a monumental stepping stone in the healing process for herself and for the mourning community. Jane Greener, Ph. D., contributes to this point as she describes how, “relying on others and having the chance to talk and process what has happened helps the bereaved begin to face the finality of death and deal with the loss.” Coming to terms with the reality of such a big loss was one of Vanessa’s hardest challenges in the process, so being able to speak about her lost loved ones while being surrounded by immense love and support greatly aided her during the healing process.

Kobe Bryant was not the average NBA player. In history, Kobe is deemed as one of the best basketball players of all time which made the emotions rooting from his death very widespread among not only the close people in his personal life, but the entire basketball community as a whole. In correspondence with this circumstance, this only made Vanessa’s speech even more essential to those seeking consolation which are deemed as the audience of this situation. Not only did the audience consist of the people filling the stands of the Staples Center, but it also includes the many viewers watching and listening to the memorial service on television. As the rhetorical audience, the people viewing and listening to Vanessa’s speech are the intended recipients of Vanessa’s message as they are seeking closure for the deaths of Kobe and Gigi. In response to Vanessa’s heartfelt words, the audience is able to respond to the exigence of her speech and find settlement within their emotions after experiencing the given losses.

In this particular situation, the constraints encompass a very complex nature as these restrictions of effective rhetoric stem from the speaker as well as the audience. The constraints include Vanessa’s ability to effectively deliver the speech in face of her emotions and to achieve a sense of warm welcome from the audience in order to do so. Certainly, the audience welcomed Vanessa with an overload of applause and did not fail to make Vanessa feel supported as she stepped up to the podium. It is important to note that the memorial took place only a month after the helicopter crash that cost Kobe and Gigi’s lives meaning this was still a very sensitive topic for Vanessa to speak about; a wound so fresh makes one’s emotions very vulnerable. Furthermore, the constraints of Vanessa’s speech lie in the words of the speech itself; the content and approach of the speech determines whether closure was achieved by the audience or not. When it comes to loss, each individual person requires different elements to achieve closure. Depending on if the audience harmonized with Vanessa’s speech determines whether closure was achieved or not.

Vanessa approached her speech in a very personal manner in the sense that she mainly shared the details about her close knit relationships and fond memories with both Kobe and Gigi. Beyond her personal life with her husband and daughter, Vanessa could not disregard the fact that Kobe was one of the most famous basketball icons of all time, so she certainly acknowledged his superior status of his basketball career within her speech as well. To detour the audience’s sadness, Vanessa emphasized how important it is, “to know and remember the amazing person, husband and father [Kobe] was. [He was] the kind of man that wanted to teach future generations to be better and keep them from making his own mistakes”, and in saying this, Vanessa cast a positive light of comfort over her audience (Scottie). Vanessa’s main goals of delivering the speech were to achieve closure for herself and the mourning community, so by illustrating the honorable figures that Kobe and Gigi were, comfort was sensed among all.

Through other forms of rhetorical modes, especially linguistic and gestural modes, Vanessa’s speech can be considered as successful. The linguistic mode “refers to written or spoken words [which] includes word choice, the delivery of written or spoken text, the organization of words into sentences, and paragraphs, and the development and coherence of words and ideas” (Ball). In this scenario, the rhetoric can be understood through the linguistic mode as Vanessa presents her speech in a sincere and conversational tone to make her audience feel in tune with her words. In terms of the gestural mode, this mode of rhetoric refers to the “​​facial expressions, hand gestures, body language, and interaction between people” which is effectively exploited by Vanessa (Ball). By maintaining a collected composure for the duration of the speech, Vanessa utilizes the gestural mode. Ultimately, these supplemental techniques greatly contribute to the success of Vanessa’s use of rhetoric.

When looking at this situation as a whole, one of the most important aspects to consider  are the shoes Vanessa has no other choice but to walk in. While navigating through her own grief, Vanessa has to simultaneously keep up with her role as a mother to her daughters, Natalia, Capri, and Bianka. Additionally, given Vanessa was the closest to Kobe as his wife, she was placed in the position of providing the surrounding community with comfort due to her significant role in Kobe’s life.

From analyzing Vanessa’s speech through Bitzer’s rhetorical lens, Vanessa’s speech can be deemed as effective usage of rhetoric as it directly mirrors all elements of this literary device. While satisfying all components of rhetoric, Vanessa positively advances her own grief process and the grief process for the people mourning the same loss as her. Concluding Vanessa’s speech, this moment marked a huge stepping stone for herself and for all people facing Kobe and Gigi’s death. Thanks to Bitzer, the viewers of Vanessa’s speech have a deeper understanding of how effective rhetoric can be especially in the face of serious matters.

Works Cited

Andrew, Scottie. “Read Vanessa Bryant’s Speech at the Memorial for Kobe and Gigi Bryant.” CNN, 24 Feb. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/02/24/us/kobe-bryant-memorial-vanessa-bryant-statement-trnd/index.html. 

Ball, Cheryl E., et al. Writer/designer : a Guide to Making Multimodal Projects. Second edition., Bedford/St. Martins, 2018.

Bitzer, Lloyd F. “The Rhetorical Situation.”Philosophy& Rhetoric, vol. 25, 1992, pp. 1–14.JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40237697. Accessed 26 Feb. 2021.

Business Insider. “NBA Legends And Celebrities Came Out In Droves To Pay Their Respects At Kobe And Gianna Bryant’s Memorial. Here’s Who Attended.” Business Insider, Times Internet, 15 Oct. 2021, www.businessinsider.in/nba-legends-and-celebrities-came-out-in-droves-to-pay-their-respects-at-kobe-and-gianna-bryants-memorial-heres-who-attended-/Vanessa-Bryant-gave-a-heartbreaking-speech-about-Kobe-and-Giannas-lives-away-from-basketball-/slideshow/74292345.cms. 

Deb, Sopan. “Kobe Bryant Memorial: Full Coverage of the Tributes at Staples Center.” New York Times, 24 Feb. 2020, www.nytimes.com/live/2020/kobe-bryant-memorial-02-24. 

Geddes, LaDonna McMurray. “Change, Loss, Grief and Communication.” EBSCOhost, Oct. 1992,search-ebscohost-com.nuncio.cofc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED355602&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Greer, Jane. “Life After Loss: The Case of Vanessa Bryant.” Psychology Today, Sussex Today, 24 Mar. 2020, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shrink-wrap/202003/life-after-loss-the-case-vanessa-bryant. 

Nash, Rocky. “UPDATE: Los Angeles Honors Kobe, Gianna Bryant with Public Memorial.” 8 News Now, Nexstar, 25 Feb. 2020, www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/live-updates-los-angeles-honors-kobe-gianna-brynt-with-public-memorial/.  

Scribner, Herb. “How the Celebration of Life Could Help Vanessa Bryant.” Deseret News, 24 Feb. 2020, www.deseret.com/entertainment/2020/2/24/21150562/vanessa-bryant-celebration-of-life-kobe-bryant-memorial. 

What would you do if I told you that every movement you make is being recorded? I am not talking about being recorded by your computer or your phone but by someone who you would never suspect. It could be someone that you welcomed into your home with open arms; someone who is now a critical part of your family. Or, perhaps, it is someone who wakes you everyday with their sweet melodies. However it is that you encounter them, they are a part of your day to day life and cannot be escaped no matter what you do. These creations are government surveillance drones that are used to keep watch over the country, however, you may know them by their common name: bird. Others think, however, that this “movement” is an enormously elaborate form of satire that is used to ease political tension. This essay will be dissecting a protest video posted by the “Birds Aren’t Real” youtube page and discussing how it is an effective example of a rhetorical situation.

Brought to popularity in 2017 by Peter McIndoe, the “Birds Aren’t Real” movement commits to informing the public of the bird genocide and their replacement by government surviellance drones (Alfonso; McIndoe, “Who Are We?”). McIndoe claims, however, that he is not the founder and that the campaign has been around since 1973; despite this assertion, McIndoe created the website “birdsarentreal.com” with the purpose to inform people about the history and the future of the movement. In the history section of the website, McIndoe recounts that Allen Dulles, the Director of the C.I.A. from 1953 to 1961, first proposed the idea of flying surveillance systems to President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956. It is mentioned that Dulles decided to replace all birds with drones after becoming increasingly infuriated by the immense amount of pigeon feces found on his car. Allen Dulles, supposedly, assassinated hundreds of millions of birds through the use of a specially crafted poison that only affected avians. The poison was dropped from the sky through the use of specially designed planes, and when the poison touched the birds they would be infected and spread the disease to other avian species. It is reported that the creatures would completely decompose, within 24 hours of coming into contact with the poison. The deceased birds were then replaced with identical drones; some of the drones had the purpose to kill real birds so the government could speed up the efforts in replacing all the avians in America. McIndoe then continues to inform the reader on how the first whistleblower, whose name is not mentioned, of the bird genocide spread the word with the help of a young man named Clark Griffin. Together they informed the public of the operation and held rallies every year from 1974 to 1993 in Washington D.C. It is said, however, that all footage from the rallies were destroyed by government officials. Coming to the end of the movement, in 1991 Clark Griffin disappeared in the middle of a protest never to be seen again. After this event, the movement slowly tapered out and was brought to an end by the lack of leadership and the growing threat of the government (McIndoe, “The History”).

With the background of the movement established, it is time to break down the video in question that was posted on the “Birds Aren’t Real” youtube channel in 2018 and establish why it can be defined as satire. Declercq defines satire “…as a genre with the purpose to critique and entertain (with the qualification that these purposes necessarily interact, although neither is wholly instrumental to the other).” The video starts with Peter McIndoe sitting under a bridge claiming that he was relaxing at home “…when the sound of cars from [his] roof brought [him] to [the] disturbing realization [that] not everyone has access to social media…” (00:00-00:07) like he does. He then goes on to claim that he is “privileged” while holding an Etch A Sketch with the picture of the “Birds Aren’t Real” instagram page layered on top and acting as if it were an ipad or iphone (00:07-00:09). These first nine seconds immediately establish a comedic aspect to video. This is evident by the fact that McIndoe is clearly well groomed and therefore, likely, lives in a real home somewhere and not under a bridge. He also could have used real technology rather than a kids toy to show that he is fortunate. Continuing with  the video, McIndoe decides that he must present “…the sheeple with the truth where they can’t avoid it, rush hour traffic” (00:20-00:24). This statement is key because he calls the civilians sheeple; this is defined as a derogatory term that is typically used to refer to people who are foolish (“Sheeple”). This is the first indication that there is a larger purpose behind the video than just entertainment. McIndoe proceeds to yell at civilians assertions such as “the birds know your social security number,” “you have no excuse now,” and “pigeons are liars” (00:25-00:32), while carrying around protest signs that are painted with similar messages. This begins to cultivate the idea that the video is critiquing people’s intensity in relation to politics. He continues to roam around yelling at people when he is approached by a police officer. McIndoe claims, in the voiceover, that the government is attempting to silence them. During the interaction, he asks the officer if she was sent by Hillary Clinton, and when she hesitates, he states that he understands that she can not speak of it. He then ends the video by yelling “freedom of speech” (McIndoe 00:45-01:00). McIndoe’s actions and interactions act as a direct parody of real life protests that can be seen on the news today. All of the aspects mentioned above solidify the idea that the object of satire in the video is how people get so worked up and emotionally involved in politics. After watching the video,  it could be theorized that McIndoe hopes people will calm down and become less intense in regards to politics.

It is important to form a clear background of the movement’s history, and the video being analyzed, so that the reader can gain a better understanding of how complex this rhetorical situation is. Bitzer defines rhetorical situations as something that “…alters reality by bringing into existence a discourse of such a character that the audience… is so engaged that it becomes the mediator of change” (4). What makes situational rhetoric different from normal rhetoric is that the “…discourse comes into existence because of some specific condition or situation which invites utterance” (Bitzer 4). Bitzer also continues to claim that there are three key elements that a rhetorical situation must have: “exigence”, “audience”, and “constraints” (6). These three elements, and the definition of rhetorical situations, can all be seen in the video “STREET PREACHING” by Peter McIndoe. What is particularly unique about this video, though, is that, unlike other rhetorical situations, there are two exigences and two audiences. This is because of the complex nature of the movement and how some people see it as a legit conspiracy theory and how others see it as a form of satire. It is important to establish that, based on the evidence provided from the video, this essay will be focusing on satire being the real purpose behind the movement with conspiracy theories being a consequence of it. With that said, both play important roles in the video, and as such each will be discussed in a viewpoint as a rhetorical situation of their own. 

As previously stated, “STREET PREACHING” by Peter McIndoe has two exigences. The first one, which will be called the fake exigence, is that birds are government surveillance systems that are being used to spy on the people of America. In order to battle this issue, McIndoe takes to the streets to inform the public of the exigence. This is evident by the fact that in the video McIndoe is screaming at onlookers, and the camera, “you filming me doesn’t scare me. The birds do that to me everyday anyway” (00:33-00:36). Also, when asked what he is doing, by a pedestrian, he replies with “spreading the feathered gospel, ma’am” (McIndoe 00:39-00:41). These two statements make it clear that he is trying to spread the word about how the government is spying on people with birds. This was not always the purpose of the campaign, though. In the “Who are we?” section of the movement’s official website birdsarentreal.com, Peter McIndoe claims that their “…initial goal was to stop the genocide of real birds,” but when all the birds were eliminated, they changed their purpose to informing the public of how these creatures that looked eerily similar to birds were actually surveillance robots for the government (McIndoe, “Who Are We?”). The second, and true, exigence of the video is based on reversing and correcting the stress and hostility caused by the intense 2018 midterm elections. McIndoe decides to do this in the form of laughter that is produced from a satirical video. It has already been explained, in a previous paragraph, how the video is satirical with the object of satire being how people get worked up and emotionally involved in politics. It is also common knowledge that satire is meant to be comedic in nature which, also as mentioned in a previous paragraph, is evident in McIndoes work. But why mention the 2018 midterm elections? Why not just say politics in general? Well, the first video ever posted on the “Birds Aren’t Real” youtube channel was of McIndoe preaching to people on the street during a women’s rights march. This demonstrates that he finds inspiration for his content from recent political events. The largest and most recent political event, in the case of the video in question, was the 2018 midterm elections. What made the election so influential was that the House of Representatives was taken back by the Democrats; this, as a result, caused a panic among Republicans as their power, and President Donald Trump’s power, decreased substantially (Collinson). One month afterwards, McIndoe posted the video being analyzed in today’s essay on the “Birds Aren’t Real” youtube channel. The fake and true exigences, when put together, act almost as a summary of the video and of the movement as a whole.

The audience of a rhetorical situation must be able to, and willing, to take action based off of the exigence (Bitzer 7). In the case of the fake exigence, the fake audience would be conspiracy theorists. This is the case because studies show that people who believe in at least one conspiracy theory are more likely to believe in other theories (Goertzel 731). Conspiracy theorists would also act on the false exigence by spreading the word on social media with websites like Reddit being places where they converse and share their opinions on theories. The true audience would be anyone with a taste for satire. In this case acting on the exigence would be done by laughing which is why the audience for the true exigence is so broad. However, the audience could be narrowed down a little as it can be theorized that the audience is mostly made up of people who had a well-rounded education or who went to postsecondary school. The reasoning behind this is that those with thorough schooling have a deeper understanding of satire and what it is compared to people who never learned about it. With all of that said, both conspiracy theorists and those with a taste for satire play a key role in the formation of the “Birds Aren’t Real” community.

Similar to the exigence and audience, the constraints of the rhetorical situation can be grouped into general constraints and constraints that relate to the true exigence. Most of the general constraints can be summarized as a lack of accessibility of the video. The video is not made with the deaf and hard of hearing community in mind. This is evident as the audio quality of the video is not very good; this is a result of McIndoe being filmed on the side of the road without a microphone to solely pick up on his voice. Another example is that McIndoe did not create his own captions for the video; this results in youtube using auto generated captions which are not very accurate and will, occasionally, completely miss words. These two small, but important, details result in creating confusion or full exclusion of the deaf and hard of hearing community. Another way that there is a lack of accessibility is that the video can only be found on the internet. This creates a problem with people who do not have access to the internet or people who have trouble navigating it. This is especially an issue because it can cause confusion for onlookers of the stunt, with aforementioned limits, on whether McIndoe was being serious about birds not being real. Constraints that relate to the true exigence can be summarized as the ignorance of others. For example, people who take everything at face value will miss the satire of the video and therefore miss the true message. This is what leads to conspiracy theories which confuse the public of the intentions of the video. Although in many ways this acts as a constraint, it also acts as an affordance. This is because with the rise of conspiracy theories comes an increase in clout through news channels and articles that report the story. With the increase in coverage, the video will be able to reach more people and gain a larger audience. A similar affordance that also relates to the spread of the video is the share button on youtube. This button makes it convenient and quick to share the video with others and, again, create a larger audience. Between the constraints and affordances, each plays an important role in rhetorical situations.

Is the “Birds Aren’t Real” movement a real conspiracy theory or all an elaborate form of satire? Perhaps we will never get an answer. However, what can be confirmed is that the video “STREET PREACHING” by Peter McIndoe is, although not entirely effective, an excellent and humorous example of a rhetorical situation. The reasoning that the video is not effective has nothing to do with the production quality or the content but with the lack of viewership. With all of the popularity that surrounded the movement in 2018 and 2019, the video that was analyzed in this essay got a mere 6,589 views with only 404 of those viewers actually giving the video a thumbs-up (McIndoe, STREET PREACHING). Despite not being entirely effective, the short film still presents an excellently produced, comedic video with the intent of making its viewers self reflect on their actions in the past, present, and future.

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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