Entering the field of rhetoric and composition can be very overwhelming because of the many theories and terms that need to be learned. The meaning of the word rhetoric alone can be confusing because there isn't a single concrete definition. There are many terms that are important to the study of rhetoric and composition that you will need to know.

The first step in grasping the study of rhetoric is to understand the basic terminology. Some of those words include rhetoric, rhetorical situation, exigence, constraint, audience, etc… There might be words that you have a general idea about their definition, but the definition of these terms might be a little different when applied to the study of rhetoric. There also might be words that you have never heard of before.

Exigence is one of the most important terms that you will need to understand to analyze any rhetorical situation. H

There are various definitions of the word exigence which comes from the Latin word for demand.

• • "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"

  • "the need, demand, or requirement intrinsic to a circumstance, condition,etc…"

  • "a case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy; emergency."

  • a problem that needs to be addressed.

    • It might be a situation or just an issue, and it causes someone to write or speak about it in a public setting such as a formal speech or article so it can be properly addressed. There can be rhetorical and non-rhetorical exigences. A rhetorical exigence can be modified through rhetoric while non-rhetorical exigences are things such as natural disasters, death, and the seasons. These things can't be modified through rhetoric because they are problems that we can't really control. They all naturally happen and can't be changed.

Exigences are extremely important to rhetoric because they pertain to analyzing any rhetorical situation, but they don't work alone.

Each constituent needs to be analyzed because they all work together in the situation. There are many different ideas on the overall purpose of all of them together with an emphasis on the role of the rhetor.

Exigences are the problems that need to be addressed and the overall purpose of delivering the speech or writing the article or book. The audience is also important because the exigences have to be brought up in a certain way according to the particular audience. Many different factors influence how the rhetor is going to approach the exigences such as the age, religion, ethnicity, and the relationship that the rhetor has with the audience. Constraints also fit in with how the rhetor address the exigences. Constraints are obstacles that the rhetor has to overcome in order to deliver the speech or discuss the exigences in some way such as the reputation of the rhetor and the view that the audience has of her/him.

The audience might overlook the need to fix or bring light to these problems if the rhetor completely ignores the constraints.

Examples of Exigence

Let's look at a few examples of rhetorical situations and identify the exigences of each. First, look at Tiger Woods' apology speech for the scandal of the multiple affairs and discuss the exigences in the speech.

Tiger Woods' speech is an example of a rhetorical situation. There are many exigences and constraints that can be discussed when examining the speech, and we'll talk at some of them. The main exigences in the speech is the discussion of the affairs. Tiger Woods had to address his indiscretions with the public because of his status in the media and public image.There is this need of an apology to the public after what happened because so many people idolized Tiger Woods. Although he never specifically addresses the affairs and what exactly happened, this is the whole purpose of the speech. Another exigence that he brings up is clearing up the rumors that his wife assaulted him on Thanksgiving. He wanted to bring this up to falsify the rumors and uphold her public image. He believed that this was an important point to address in his speech. The importance of not discrediting his foundation because of his now corrupted reputation is another exigence. He doesn't want the public as well as corporations to stop funding it because it isn't fair to the children that it is helping. There are many many more exigences that could be discussed such as the importance of keeping his family safe from the media and how wrong it is that paparazzi follows his children and wife around because of his indiscretions.

Exigencies don't only exist in formal speeches; there are exigences in every rhetorical situation. Think about a project or a major paper that you have to do for a class. Maybe your paper is over some movie that you watched in class and you have to relate it to the book. That is an exigency because you are formulating an argument that connects the book and the movie and finding research, That is the main purpose of the paper. Another exigency is to inform your teacher that you know what you are talking about and you understand the material.

Another (less serious) example: Taylor Swift's new hit "Shake it Off".

Taylor Swift wrote this song trying to convey a message to society. There are many things that she brings up in her song that she wants to make apparent such as certain stereotypes that people associate with her. The main exigence is to inform the public that regardless of what people say about her, she isn't going to let it bother her. She addresses stereotypes that she is known for such as being a serial dater and not being smart saying, "at least that's what people say". She is making it known that while all of these are being said about her, they aren't necessarily true. Another exigence is informing the media that there are things that they don't see such as her not dancing to be "good" but to have fun. Taylor is also addressing that she knows these things won't change because people are going to speculate about her and what is going on in her life, but she will continue to "shake it off". All the lyrics and overall message of the song are addressing something that she thinks should be shared with the world. Although it is an indirect form of confronting the problem, she is getting her message out to millions upon millions of people. Informally, she is addressing a problem that she feels needs to be brought up. She is responding the media in the same way that Tiger Woods is without the apology.