The exigence, audience and constraints are only one way to understand the context of a piece of rhetoric, and, of course, there are other ways to get at context. Some rhetoricians look at subject, purpose, audience and occasion. Others might look at the “rhetorical triangle” of writer, reader, and purpose.
Multiple parts to successful rhetoric, not just one
For example, research has shown that only 2% of women consider themselves beautiful (“Campaign”), which has been linked to the way that the fashion industry defines beauty. We are also told by the media that buying more stuff can make us happy, but historical surveys show that US happiness peaked in the 1950s, when people saw as many advertisements in their lifetime as the average American sees in one year (Leonard).
Proves that just because society advocates for a certain opinion/view, doesn't make it true.
If we refuse to stop and think about how and why it persuades us, we can become mindless consumers who buy into arguments about what makes us value ourselves and what makes us happy.
Need to be aware of what you're consuming as true. Evaluate your values, beliefs, and ethics and see if they match up with what society is telling you.
you will choose to buy the product and how you will choose to respond to the messages that the commercial sends.
We have the decision of how rhetoric will affect our lives, choices, etc. Its important to be aware of what is being said. Is it true, biased, etc?
Tone is how we let the people we communicate with know our attitude about our topic or even about the reader.
Tone and word choice is very important because it gives the reader great understanding of what is going on and how to feel about it.
Professors often expect this more neutral tone in more informative writing because it demonstrates that the writer is setting aside her personal biases about the topic and is trying to present information fairly. Journalists are also expected to use this kind of tone in their reporting, as are scientists in their research writing. The ability to be (or at least appear) unbiased carries quite a bit of weight in many types of written communication in our society.
In situations like this, the writer is here to share the truth, news, information, etc. Truth without bias, like we find on some news outlets, newspapers, etc.
It isn’t about right or wrong; it’s about effective or ineffective. Tone, just like the other elements of style, is a rhetorical choice that writers make when considering their audience and purpose for writing. The attitude we express about a topic in our writing is just another way that we attempt to accomplish goals in our communication.
There is not a right or wrong way to express tone in writing. I get to control my tone and how I want my audience to perceive my writing.
Not usually. In fact, the chorus is crucial for audience awareness because it’s often the first (or even the only) part of the song the listener learns and can sing along with. Repeating the chorus helps bring the audience along with you from verse to verse: the audience thinks, “Aha, I know this!”
the audience becomes familiar and it is more enjoyable for them to read/follow along
“I have a little green ball about an inch in diameter, small enough to hide in your hand. It’s light neon green like highlighter ink and made of smooth shiny rubber with a slightly rough line running around its equator as if two halves were joined together. When I drop it on the tile floor, it bounces back nearly as high as my hand; when I throw it down the hallway, it careens unpredictably off the walls and floor.” Now the ball in your mind matches the ball in my hand much more closely.
An example of "showing"
Already there’s some possible disagreement, even though it seemed so clear what “little” meant. Maybe “green” is easier: you know what “green” is, right? Of course. But now, can you think of two different versions of “green”? three versions? five?
It is crucial to be very specific with the language you use in writing. Using figurative language and imagery is important to show not tell.
When we write this way, we write rhetorically: that is, we pay attention to the needs of the author and the needs of the reader rather than the needs of the teacher—or the rules in the textbook
This way of writing invokes creative, purposeful expression without anything being pressured or forced by rules, the teacher, or a textbook.
Write about what you know about, are curious about, are passionate about (or what you can find a way to be curious about or interested in). Show, don’t just tell. Adapt to the audience and purpose you’re writing for.
I especially agree with rule #1 because your writing will be "good" because you are writing about something you care about or something that sparks your interest.
I also think, though, that writing is made harder than it has to be when we try to follow too many rules for writing
I agree with this statement. I think the more freedom and creativity we have with writing, the easier it comes.