Samantha Goins

Professor Muesing
UWRT 1102-025
27 January 2016
Rhetorical Situation
The rhetorical situation is something that demonstrates a way to get an idea across. It can
be seen as a persuasion or just a way to get a point of view across. It involves a discourse,
rhetors, exigence, constraints, and an audience. Each of the four commercials that I viewed
contained their own individual discourse that would appropriately represent their product. In the
PC and Mac commercial, it used comedy to get its point across that Mac was superior and a
better product. It created a funny way to distinguish how one was better than the other. This was
most likely used so that it could be appealing to basically anyone that uses such products. The
Old Spice commercial used seduction as its selling point. It appealed not only to the typical male
customers, but was more so directed toward women in relationships with those males. It focused
on what would make the product appealing, and it used an approach that accurately did that. The
Jack in the Box commercial created a situation that made munchies relevant so that it could
reference its on product. The exigence focused on appetizing food to increase the customer
population to the specific business. It did so by showing what they had specifically to offer in
those situations. The Clash of Clans commercial that I personally chose used a popular tough
figure to make the game seem more tempting and tough. These approaches all were specific to
each topic. They were clever ways to make the topic more appealing and to get their point across
to the audiences. Outside of commercials, rhetorical situation is definitely something that can be

used to create a positive outcome. A great example is a job interview. In this situation your
discourse is developed to focus on getting the job. The rhetor has to cover what the constraints
are, and in turn determine the exigence. It is important to focus on what the interview is about,
why it is necessary, and what it should accomplish. The audience is how the rhetor proposes the
whole plan. This situation has to focus on these aspects, because in turn it can create more
chances for success. As a student, this situation could help me prepare for things such as class
speeches, papers, communicating with superiors, and so much more. It helps create a structured
way to communicate efficiently and clearly to others. These situations hold a lot of importance in
developing a successful future. When writing, knowing the rhetorical situation helps you
communicate efficiently to the appropriate audience. It gives you a way to get your point of view
across more successfully. It creates a clear path of communication.