what should we look at in order to see how context shapes how and why rhetoric is created?
To see how context shapes how and why rhetoric is created, you can examine several key elements:
1. Historical and Cultural Context: Understanding the historical and cultural context within which rhetoric is produced is crucial. Factors such as societal norms, values, beliefs, and the political climate can profoundly influence the rhetoric used. For example, political speeches during times of war may employ patriotic and nationalistic rhetoric to rally support.
2. Audience Analysis: Rhetoric is created with a specific audience in mind, and the intended audience heavily influences the choice of language, tone, and persuasive strategies. Analyzing the target audience's characteristics, values, knowledge, and interests can shed light on why certain rhetorical techniques are employed.
3. Purpose and Intentions: The purpose behind the rhetoric and the speaker/writer's intentions should be examined. Is the rhetoric intended to persuade, inform, entertain, or agitate? Understanding the desired outcome helps explain the strategies and techniques employed.
4. Socio-Political Context: The broader socio-political context, including power dynamics and social inequalities, significantly shapes rhetoric. Politicians, activists, or marginalized groups may use different rhetorical strategies based on their positions and the power dynamics at play.
5. Medium and Technology: The medium through which rhetoric is delivered and the technological advancements available play a role. Rhetoric employed in written texts, speeches, social media, or visual mediums may differ due to the constraints and affordances of the specific medium.
6. Language and Semiotics: Analyzing the use of language, symbols, metaphors, and semiotics provides insight into how rhetoric is shaped by context. Words and symbols can evoke certain emotions, associations, and meanings that are contextual, cultural, or subject to interpretation.
7. Discourse Communities: Examining the discourse communities in which rhetoric is produced helps identify shared values, norms, and language patterns. Political parties, professional organizations, or social movements may have their own distinct rhetoric shaped by the specific community's context.
Overall, analyzing the historical, cultural, socio-political, and communicative context surrounding rhetoric can illuminate how and why it is created in different ways.