Introduction
A rhetorical situation contains three key elements, an exigence, audience and constraints. Together these elements will be attributed to the situation LaFleur was presented with when writing his rejection letter to Ms. Crump.
Rhetorical Exigence
Given the numerous qualified applicants for the Technical Management Trainee Programme, the company will be unable to accept Ms. Crump into the program. Lazar LaFleur must provide her with a rejection notice that will not offend her and encourage her to re-apply the following year.
The exigence described above is rhetorical because the situation can undergo “positive modification” (Bitzer 2009, 18) through communication. In other words the problem LaFluer is presented with can be resolved using communication. LaFleur is inviting Ms. Crump to respond positively to the rejection letter, by suggesting she enhance her communication experience for next year’s intake.
Rhetorical Audience
Bitzer describes a Rhetorical Audience as “so engaged that it becomes the mediator of change”
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The constraints limit the rhetor, LaFluer, and help him shape the message he is trying to convey. As an example LaFluer could have simply rejected Ms. Crump without explaining what motivated the company to make that decision. Instead he chooses to use the truth as an enabler, by implying that her communication skills were lacking. The constraint was the truth that he used as an enabler to help shape the message he was trying to convey through the rejection notice. Similarly, LaFleur has to maintain the reputation of the company and ensure that his rejection letter was professional. He had to maintain professionalism by being unambiguous and courteous towards Ms. Crump. Both of these constraints had to have been considered when LaFleur was writing his