Across many essays that have been written, it is common to see Bitzer's Criteria for setting up rhetorical situation. This allows for the context of a rhetorical event, that consists of an issue, an audience, and a set of constraints, to be seen and analysed by the audience.
First, Within James Baldwin's “Notes of a Native Son”, the audience can find all of the relevant characteristics described by Bitzer in his six characteristics of rhetorical situation. For the first characteristic of rhetorical situation of Baldwin’s essay, rhetorical discourse is crafted by the situation of the race riots and related social tension in Harlem. Baldwin says in his essay, “Amputation is swift but time may prove that the amputation was not necessary -or one …show more content…
Here, he again uses his father as an example, writing, “he had lived and died in an intolerable bitterness of spirit .”
For the fifth characteristic, Baldwin’s discourse is reinforced by historical situations such as racism in Harlem and the violence before the Civil Rights movement. This can be seen when Baldwin describes driving through the city and seeing all the remains of the city following the destruction from the race riots. He says, “we drove him to the graveyard through those unquiet, ruined streets, to see how powerful and overflowing this bitterness could be.”
For the sixth characteristic, Baldwin talks to both black and white people in this essay in response to the exigence created by the situation of the existence of racism. He responds by recognizing that the pain and bitterness people feel due to racial tension is harrowing and difficult to overcome. He also responds to the exigence created by the situation by saying that although this pain is real it occurs in all of us, and if we let it it will also destroy us. He showed in the example of his father that this hatred can lead to disease that can destroy our minds and bodies as did it his father and nearly himself. Baldwin states, “When he was committed, it was discovered that he had tuberculosis and, as it turned out the disease of his mind allowed the disease of his body to destroy him”. Baldwin’s rhetorical discourse is further strengthened by how racism is a universal situation that persists and will most likely never go away, so it is a truly rhetorical body of literature for this
First, Within James Baldwin's “Notes of a Native Son”, the audience can find all of the relevant characteristics described by Bitzer in his six characteristics of rhetorical situation. For the first characteristic of rhetorical situation of Baldwin’s essay, rhetorical discourse is crafted by the situation of the race riots and related social tension in Harlem. Baldwin says in his essay, “Amputation is swift but time may prove that the amputation was not necessary -or one …show more content…
Here, he again uses his father as an example, writing, “he had lived and died in an intolerable bitterness of spirit .”
For the fifth characteristic, Baldwin’s discourse is reinforced by historical situations such as racism in Harlem and the violence before the Civil Rights movement. This can be seen when Baldwin describes driving through the city and seeing all the remains of the city following the destruction from the race riots. He says, “we drove him to the graveyard through those unquiet, ruined streets, to see how powerful and overflowing this bitterness could be.”
For the sixth characteristic, Baldwin talks to both black and white people in this essay in response to the exigence created by the situation of the existence of racism. He responds by recognizing that the pain and bitterness people feel due to racial tension is harrowing and difficult to overcome. He also responds to the exigence created by the situation by saying that although this pain is real it occurs in all of us, and if we let it it will also destroy us. He showed in the example of his father that this hatred can lead to disease that can destroy our minds and bodies as did it his father and nearly himself. Baldwin states, “When he was committed, it was discovered that he had tuberculosis and, as it turned out the disease of his mind allowed the disease of his body to destroy him”. Baldwin’s rhetorical discourse is further strengthened by how racism is a universal situation that persists and will most likely never go away, so it is a truly rhetorical body of literature for this