Writing as Rhetorical Problem Solving

Rhetorical Situation

• Audience

• Exigency/Purpose

• The Writer

• The Text

Discourse Communities

Groups of people who differ in

--the vocabulary they use to describe the world

--the linguistic style and genres they prefer

--the kinds of “evidence” they value

--the questions / issues they find relevant

Writing as Cognitive Act

• Writers constantly reformulate goals while composing (recursivity).

• Experienced writers develop more complex and specific goals.

• Writers formulate goals based on existing knowledge (mental models) for writing.

Why (Teaching) Writing is Hard….

“Even though a teacher gives 20

students the same assignment, the

writers themselves create the problem

they solve”—Flower and Hayes

Analyzing Persona (Ethos)

• First, Second of Third person discourse?

• Simple or complex vocabulary / sentence structures?

• Building goodwill / identification with audience?

• Establishing credibility?

• Image of the writer that emerges?

Analyzing Pathos (emotional appeal)

• Enargeia: Vivid description of an event that

produces an emotional response• Honorific language (subtly presents a person /

topic in a respectful admiring light)• Pejorative language (subtly presents a person

/ topic in a negative light)

Analyzing Audiences

• What values or assumptions does the audience hold about the world?

• What do they already know, believe, and feel about your topic?

• What kinds of language and “evidence” do they value?

• What will motivate them to trust you as an author and want to read your work?