1. The Rhetorical Situation

2. Start big – general - global
Think of this globe as the context of your situation. Context is a broad term that contains many things: physical environment, culture, nationality, language, ethnicity, world-view, belief system, economic status, and so on… the context is the world in which the text is composed.

3. Now, let’s zoom in.
TEXT
At the center of the triangle is whatever text you’re are considering.

4. Purpose TEXT Writer Audience
At each vertices of the triangle, we find the writer (or creator) of the text, the text’s audience, and the text’s purpose.

5. The Writer
Who created this text? What were their motivations? What other texts has this writer created?

6. The Audience
Who is the intended audience for this text? Who is the “real” audience for this text? How has the audience reacted?

7. Purpose
What was the writer’s purpose in creating this text? Has the text achieved it’s purpose? What purposes has the text served that may not have been the writer’s intention?

8. By considering the whole picture, we can approach any text and analyze it: this is the first step towards actively engaging in the world of ideas.
Purpose
TEXT
Writer
Audience
The final element of the rhetorical situation is you – the investigator!