Definition and Examples of Exigence in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Exigence in Rhetoric In rhetoric, exigence is an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak. The term exigence comes from the Latin word for demand. It was popularized in rhetorical studies by Lloyd Bitzer in The Rhetorical Situation (Philosophy and Rhetoric, 1968). In every rhetorical situation, said Bitzer, there will be at least one controlling exigence which functions as the organizing principle: it specifies the audience to be addressed and the change to be affected. In other words, says Cheryl Glenn, a rhetorical  exigence is a problem that can be resolved or changed by discourse (or language)... All successful rhetoric (whether verbal or visual) is an authentic response to an exigence, a real reason to send a message. (The Harbrace Guide to Writing, 2009) Other Considerations Exigence is not the only component of a rhetorical situation. The rhetor also must consider the audience being addressed and constraints that would present obstacles.   Commentary Exigence has to do with what prompts the author to write in the first place, a sense of urgency, a problem that requires attention right now, a need that must be met, a concept that must be understood before the audience can move to a next step. (M. Jimmie Killingsworth, Appeals in Modern Rhetoric. Southern Illinois University Press, 2005)An exigence may be something as direct and intense as a power outage, which might prompt an official to persuade everyone to stay calm or to assist those in need. An exigence may be more subtle or complex, like the discovery of a new virus, which might prompt medical officials to persuade the public how to change its behavior. Exigence is part of a situation. It is the critical component that makes people ask the hard questions: What is it? What caused it? What good is it? What are we going to do? What happened? What is going to happen? (John Mauk and John Metz Inventing Arguments, 4th ed. Cengage, 2016) Rhetorical and Nonrhetorical Exigences An exigence, [Lloyd] Bitzer (1968) asserted, is 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 (p. 6). In other words, an exigence is a pressing problem in the world, something to which people must attend. The exigence functions as the ongoing principle of a situation; the situation develops around its controlling exigence (p. 7). But not every problem is a rhetorical exigence, Bitzer explained. An exigence which cannot be modified is not rhetorical; thus, whatever comes about of necessity and cannot be changed- death, winter, and some natural disasters, for instance- are exigences to be sure, but they are nonrhetorical. . . . An exigence is rhetorical when it is capable of positive modification and when positive modification requires discourse or can be assisted by discourse. (emphasis added) (John Mauk and John Metz Inventing Arguments, 4th ed. Cengage, 2016)Racism is an example of the first typ e of exigence, one where discourse is required to remove the problem... As an example of the second type- an exigence that can be modified by the assistance of rhetorical discourse- Bitzer offered the case of air pollution. (James Jasinski, Sourcebook on Rhetoric. Sage, 2001) A brief example may help to illustrate the difference between an exigence and a rhetorical exigence. A hurricane is an example of a non-rhetorical exigence. Regardless of how hard we try, no amount of rhetoric or human effort can prevent or alter the path of a hurricane (at least with todays technology). However, the aftermath of a hurricane pushes us in the direction of a rhetorical exigence. We would be dealing with a rhetorical exigence if we were trying to determine how best to respond to people who had lost their homes in a hurricane. The situation can be addressed with rhetoric and can be resolved through human action. (Stephen M. Croucher, Understanding Communication Theory: A Beginners Guide, Routledge, 2015) As a Form of Social Knowledge Exigence must be located in the social world, neither in a private perception nor in material circumstance. It cannot be broken into two components without destroying it as a rhetorical and social phenomenon. Exigence is a form of social knowledge- a mutual construing of objects, events, interest, and purposes that not only links them but makes them what they are: an objectified social need. This is quite different from [Lloyd] Bitzers characterization of exigence as a defect (1968) or a danger (1980). Conversely, although exigence provides the rhetor with a sense of rhetorical purpose, it is clearly not the same as the rhetors intention, for that can be ill-formed, dissembling, or at odds with what the situation conventionally supports. The exigence provides the rhetor with a socially recognizable way to make his or her intentions known. It provides an occasion, and thus a form, for making public our private versions of things. (Carolyn R. Miller, Genre as Social Action, 1984. Rpt. in Genre In the New Rhetoric, ed. by Freedman, Aviva, and Medway, Peter. Taylor Francis, 1994) Vatzs Social Constructionist Approach [Richard E.] Vatz (1973)... challenged Bitzers concept of the rhetorical situation, maintaining that an exigence is socially constructed and that rhetoric itself generates an exigence or rhetorical situation (The Myth of the Rhetorical Situation.) Quoting from Chaim Perelman, Vatz argued that when rhetors or persuaders choose particular issues or events to write about, they create presence or salience (Perelmans terms)- in essence, it is the choice to focus on the situation that creates the exigence. Thus a president who chooses to focus on health care or military action, according to Vatz, has constructed the exigence toward which the rhetoric is addressed. (Irene Clark, Multiple Majors, One Writing Class.  Linked Courses for General Education and Integrative Learning, ed. by  Soven, Margot, et al., Stylus, 2013)

The importance of emotions and emotional quotient Article

The importance of emotions and emotional quotient - Article Example "A survey of the children's parents and teachers found that those who as four-year-olds had the fortitude to hold out for the second marshmallow generally grew up to be better adjusted, more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable teenagers. The children who gave in to temptation early on were more likely to be lonely, easily frustrated and stubborn." (Gibbs) Therefore, the author of the article has been very effective in providing evidences from the various studies in psychology to prove that emotions are more credible measures of intelligence than IQ. Nancy Gibbs also brings out the various misconceptions and misjudgments with regard to the measuring of intelligence. She maintains that the scientists have long worshipped the hardware of the brain and the software of the mind whereas the elements of emotions were completely ignored. Here, she makes out significance of the phrase 'emotional intelligence' which was coined by the Yale psychologist Peter Salovey and the contribut ions of Goleman are analyzed in detail, along with the studies by other scholars. Therefore, the article by Nancy Gibbs makes a central contribution to the study of psychology with regard to emotions and IQ in the measure of human intelligence. J. ... ich the author is trying to find a good explanation of why the cases of autism and closely related disorders like Asperger's are exploding in number with a seeming suddenness and the various arguments and opinions about the issue are thoroughly analyzed by the author. Significantly, the rise in autism and Asperger's is not confined to high-tech enclaves or to the children of computer programmers and software engineers and it occurs in every job category and socioeconomic class and in every state. The author provides alarming statistical data to prove that these disorders are fast becoming serious threat to the US society and one in one fifty kids below 10 years of age may be affected by autism or a related disorder. Considering the seriousness of the issue, the parents in the contemporary society are besieging the offices of psychologists and psychiatrists in their search for remedies whereas scientists are racing to identify the genes linked to autism and to examine environmental fa ctors contributing to the development of autism. In the next sections of the article, Nash deals in detail with the genetic roots of autism, a difference of mind, and a matter of misconnections and the author makes use of the rich new insights by the scientists into the baffling spectrum of disorders gained in the process of contemporary studies. Various factors contributing to the increase in autism and other disorders are analyzed in detail. "In the end," the author remarks, "it is not merely possible but likely that scientists will discover multiple routes--some rare, some common; some purely genetic, some not--that lead to similar end points. And when they do, new ideas for how to prevent or correct autism may quickly materialize. A decade from now there will almost certainly be more

The Cross Cultural Implications For a UK Manager Undertaking an Essay

The Cross Cultural Implications For a UK Manager Undertaking an International Business - Essay Example If the cross- cultural effects are not addressed, this can lead to conflict and lack of business resolution especially by business managers. There are various forms of cultures that influence the performance of a business manager in another different culture. These factors are widely categorized as group culture, organizational culture and national culture. The national culture in a different country greatly influences the way in which a manager performs and hence the need to assess the cross cultural implications of a UK manager who is undertaking an international business assignment in another country. This will be done with reference to Hofstede and bond theories and also according to Trompenaars and Hall theories (Moody, Bebensee and Carter, 2008, p. 89). Hofstede (2001) Theory Of Cross Cultural Implications Culture is the way of life of a people and for a business manager to work competently in a cross cultural environment he needs to learn how to understand the cross culture an d competently perform in the different cultural environment. It is important that he learns the implications of cultural diversity. Hofstede four cross cultural implications that may aid business managers on international businesses to competently perform despite the change in culture. ... United Kingdom being a developed country has Low Power Distance (LPD) since the level of integrity, education and ethics is high. However, African countries are characterized by High Power Distance (HPD) since the margin between the intellect and the poor is very great. In a situation where a UK based manager is posed in an African country, embracing HPD will be a difficult task for the manager to accomplish. This is since the manager is used to power balance and following protocols to accomplish business deal. However, in Africa, superiors make the core of the decisions with minimal consultation to the managers. The running of the business is a top level endeavor hence challenging the performance of the UK based manager. Moreover, despite being assertive, the UK manager is inculcated into a community whereby subordinates are not consulted in decision making and the top level administration is not questioned. The issue of power distance is an example of a cross cultural implication t hat a UK based manager carrying out an international business in an African country will face during his business in Africa (Lim, 2004, p. 27). Secondly, individualism and collectivism is another cross cultural concept that Hofstede emphasizes in his cross cultural theory. According to him, individualists are more concerned about themselves and their gain while collectivists are concerned about the gain of the whole group. A country where individualism is rampant is in the United States, UK and Germany while the countries will collectivism are Asia and African countries. Basing on this documented evidence, the UK based manager has individualistic aspect and he has gone for an international

The Holocaust Essay Example for Free

The Holocaust Essay Question: Explain how the experience of the Holocaust might affect the faith of a Jew. (7 marks) The Holocaust also known by Jews as Shoah was a tragic time in Jewish history whereby 6 million Jews were killed. The event poses deep questions about the nature of God, evil and reasons for suffering. Many Jews ask how and why God let this happen. The Shoah really tested many Jews believe in God. Judaism teaches God created everything. So therefore did God created evil? Surely God is all loving and therefore created evil for a purpose but what is it? The covenant relationship made between God and Abraham states that if Jews obey the mitzvoth and the 10 commandments and serve God, God will in return protect them and provide them with the Promised Land. Why did he not protect them here? Was the promise broken is what some Jews might say. Jews may question the existence of God as a result of the Holocaust. Where was God and why didnt he stop it? In this discussion the problem of evil arises. This states, How can an all loving and omnipotent God let suffering into the world? If God is omni benevolent (all good) why did he allow evil to happen? If God is omnipotent (all powerful) why didnt he stop it? Unfortunately there is no one right or wrong answer on this but individual Jews will carry their own opinions. Some Jews might as a result have lost all faith in God all together. Why wasnt he there at the time? Why did he not intervene in the matter, is what some Jews would say? They might now believe there is no God and use the Shoah as proof of their views. Therefore their faith in God may have been greatly weakened and broken by the event. On example of a Jew greatly affected by the Holocaust in a negative way is Elie Wiesel. He was deported to Auschwitz as a teenager and therefore suffered the traumatic time but came out as a survivor. In his book entitled Night he says boldly, For the survivors death is not the problem. We learned to live with the death. The problem is to adjust to life. His accounts of anger with God are among the most powerful to emerge from the Shoah. An extremely powerful line of his book is, Never shall I forget those moments which murdered by God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Elie Wiesel has lost all hope and positive thoughts about God which can be evidently seen through his writing. Despite the fact he is a survivor he does not feel lucky for this but questions why? On the other hand for some Jews their faith has been strengthened by the event of the Holocaust. They see now that God could not intervene in the matter and feel they have gained answers as a result of the Holocaust. God gave everyone free will and bad overpowered good. One example of a Jew who was affected in a positive way as a result of the Holocaust is Emil Fackenheim. He was a rabbi in Germany in the 1930s and spent a short time in a concentration camp. He wrote, As Jews we must continue to practise our faith. If we stop practising Judaism Hitler will have a victory from the grave.We have a service to the worldGods chosen people will survive and this will be a testimony of life over death, on behalf of all mankind. He approaches the event of the Holocaust in a very different way to Wiesel. He feels lucky for surviving the tragic event and sees it as a blessing from God that he was chosen to survive. He describes survivors as chosen people by God. Lastly the question of why God allowed evil and suffering is explored in the Bible in the book of Job where God took away everything from Job yet his faith remained strong. Why did God do this; either as a test of his faith or as punishment. Job kept his faith strong no matter what the reason. Jews may follow this as an example of how to behave. So therefore to conclude the faith of individual Jews has been affected in different ways by the Holocaust. Some have experience positively from the event and have increased faith in God whereas for others their faith has weakened as they question the presence of God at the time. Does the Holocaust go against what Judaism teaches about the role of God?

Vodou Religion :: essays research papers

Vodou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion, is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. The unseen world is populated by lwa (spirits), mystà ¨ (mysteries), anvizib (the invisibles), zanj (angels), and the spirits of ancestors and the recently deceased. All these spirits are believed to live in a mythic land called Ginen, a cosmic â€Å"Africa.† The God of the Christian Bible is understood to be the creator of both the universe and the spirits; the spirits were made by God to help him govern humanity and the natural world. The primary goal and activity of Vodou is to sevi lwa (â€Å"serve the spirits†)—to offer prayers and perform various devotional rites directed at God and particular spirits in return for health, protection, and favour. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. During religious rites, believers sometimes enter a trancelike state in which the devotee may eat and drink, perform stylized dances, give supernaturally inspired advice to people, or perform medical cures or special physical feats; these acts exhibit the incarnate presence of the lwa within the entranced devotee. Vodou ritual activity (e.g., prayer, song, dance, and gesture) is aimed at refining and restoring balance and energy in relationships between people and between people and the spirits of the unseen world. Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. In the cities, local hierarchies of priestesses or priests (manbo and oungan), â€Å"children of the spirits† (ounsi), and ritual drummers (ountà ²gi) comprise more formal â€Å"societies† or â€Å"congregations† (sosyete). In these congregations, knowledge is passed on through a ritual of initiation (kanzo) in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation. There is some regional difference in ritual practice across Haiti, and branches of the religion include Rada, Daome, Ibo, Nago, Dereal, Manding, Petwo, and Kongo. There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. There are also secret societies, called Bizango or Sanpwà ¨l, that perform a religio-juridical function. A calendar of ritual feasts, syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar, provides the yearly rhythm of religious practice.

Competitive Education Essay

In my opinion, Education is a holistic process of learning and development in an individual’s lifetime. While competitiveness, is the result of the basic survival instinct already inherent in an individual, or for that matter all living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For this reason, I believe education as a system shouldn’t undermine the importance of â€Å"competition† as a valuable tool employed to enhance the learning process, undermining which might consequently hinder the natural progress and development of a student. The need for a competitive education becomes all the more vital in preparing a student for the cut-throat competition that takes place in the real world, and in which â€Å"survival of the fittest† phenomenon applies in every aspect of an individual’s life. It starts early from sibling rivalry at home, to parents ensuring that the individual gets into the best school, again enrolling into the best college of choice, applying for scholarships, vying for the attention of the opposite sex, finding a suitable job, choosing the best prospective bride or groom, starting an enterprise and competing against other enterprises in the market etc. For better or for worse, â€Å"competition† is not limited to our personal lives but also thrives in our collective social, political, economic environment and not to forget in the field of sports. For instance, we all saw and openly displayed our enthusiasm and support for our department i. e. ITB during the cricket tournament and our players also felt motivated to outscore other Departments. Therefore, if competition is considered a positive and integral element in our progressive society, the question that arises is why should it be perceived as anything less or a threat in our education system? Competitive education system empowers a student to face challenges and not to shy away from them. It helps a student identify his/her strengths and weaknesses and further provides the necessary motivation to focus on the strengths and overcome the weaknesses. In academics a student will be able to assess what he/she has learnt so far in the class through oral and written examinations. In co-curricular activities, a student might be poor in sports but may be exceptional in painting. Through the means of competition, this student will be able to discover what he/she is good at and then focus on refining that particular skill, thereby a student will feel motivated to strive for excellence in the activity that brings out the best in him. Yes its true, in a competitive environment there is room for only one winner and for every winner to win the prize there must be a loser to take the fall, because failure is the much needed contrast to success and vice versa. Having said that, one can argue that â€Å"competition† is not about winning or losing but about giving our best. Salman Rushdie in his novel â€Å"midnight children† wrote: All games have morals; and the game of Snakes and Ladders captures, as no other activity can hope to do, the eternal truth that for every ladder you climb, a snake is waiting just around the corner; and for every snake, a ladder will compensate. † Therefore, a student in a competitive education system, in keeping with the spirit of competition can learn an important moral lesson of life: handling failures gracefully and perceiving it as a stepping stone to success. Ultimately, learning these crucial lessons from a competitive education system the easy way is better than learning from the unforgiving real world the hard way.

Lipscomb University Admissions ACT Scores, Admit Rate

To apply to Lipscomb University, students will need to submit an application along with scores from the SAT or ACT, a teacher recommendation, and a high school transcript. With an acceptance rate of 61 percent, the school is not highly selective--students with good grades and test scores within or above the ranges listed below have a decent chance of being admitted. For more information, be sure to visit Lipscombs website, or contact the admissions office. Admissions Data (2016) Lipscomb University Acceptance Rate: 61%Test Scores -- 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 500 / 638SAT Math: 490  / 630SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanTennessee colleges SAT comparisonAtlantic Sun Conference SAT comparisonACT Composite: 22  / 28ACT English: 23 / 31ACT Math: 22 / 27What these ACT numbers meanTennessee colleges ACT comparisonAtlantic Sun Conference ACT comparison Lipscomb University Description Established in 1891, Lipscomb University is a private Christian university located on a 65-acre campus four miles from downtown  Nashville, Tennessee. The school believes in the interconnectedness of faith and learning, and leadership, service, and faith are central to the universitys values. Libscomb undergraduates can choose from over 130 programs of study within 66 majors. Academics are supported by a 15 to 1  student/faculty ratio. Professional fields such as nursing, business and education are among the most popular. Student life is also active with over 70 student clubs and organizations. In athletics, the Libscomb Bisons compete in the NCAA Division I  Atlantic Sun Conference. Popular sports include basketball, soccer, softball, track and field, and baseball. Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 4,632  (2,986  undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 38% Male / 62% Female89% Full-time Costs (2016 - 17) Tuition and Fees: $29,756Books: $1,500 (why so much?)Room and Board: $11,540Other Expenses: $3,250Total Cost: $46,046 Lipscomb University Financial Aid (2015  - 16) Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 98%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 98%Loans: 45%Average Amount of AidGrants: $18,936Loans: $6,773 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors:  Accounting, Biology, Business Administration, Elementary Education, Exercise Science, Marketing, Psychology Retention and Graduation Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 85%4-Year Graduation Rate: 48%6-Year Graduation Rate: 58% Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports:  Baseball, Tennis, Soccer, Cross Country, Basketball, Golf, Track and FieldWomens Sport:  Basketball, Track and Field, Volleyball, Tennis, Soccer, Softball, Cross Country Data Source National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like Lipscomb University, You May Also Like These Schools Vanderbilt University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphBelmont University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTennessee State University: Profile  Samford University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphAuburn University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphFaulkner University: Profile  Harding University: Profile  Lee University: Profile  Union University: Profile  East Tennessee State University: Profile  University of Tennessee - Knoxville: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphSewanee University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Lipscomb and the Common Application Lipscomb University uses the  Common Application. These articles can help guide you: Common Application essay tips and samplesShort answer tips and samplesSupplemental essay tips and samples