Analysis of Rhetorical Situation

Life is just one giant rhetorical situation comprised of a series of small rhetorical situations, or at least I think so. In order to make sense of my controversy post-mortem project I will investigate the different components that make up a rhetorical situation: audience, purpose, and author.

Rhetorical Situation 

AUDIENCE :

          I would say the the target audience is health professionals or anyone in the health field, however, the unusual case of Jahi McMath has made headlines nationwide. The health professionals (doctors, nurses, public health officials, ect.) would read articles in health magazines such as The Health Journal as well as academic journals. If they don't have time to read they may also listen to a podcast or a news radio. Other than health officials, anyone watching the news or reading articles in major newspapers such as The Los Angeles Times, or The New York Times may have come across Jahi's story. 

Murch, Beatrice "Audience Laughing with Roberto Alsina"
09-29-05 via Flicker Attribution 2.0 Generic 

       As for demographics, religious beliefs are the main barrier of divide. The basis of the Jahi McMath case lies within the Catholic belief of what constitutes death, therefore, I can assume that part of the demographic interested in or passionate about Jahi's case are Catholic. With regards to age, I would say that my demographic would be young to older adults. Otherwise in terms of race, gender, or sexual orientation it doesn't really matter. 

      The audience would value or find knowledge about the happenings in the health field to be of importance. Jahi's case deals with 

state law/science versus religious belief or even opinion, therefore, the audience would be people who care or are really passionate about the inner workings of America's health system. People care when the situation may apply to their lives or the lives of their loved ones. (What if it was my daughter or son?) People grow interested in a story if they can relate to it or find some sort of an emotional attachment. 

PURPOSE: 

fotshot,"Walking, Feet, Shoes, Step, Strolling, Pavement"
09-21-14 via Pixabay CC0 Public Domain

       The purpose of my controversy post-mortem project is to inform people about the unusual case of Jahi McMath. I want to help people understand the different components of the story.  The audience should sympathize with all sides of the story, and should be able to understand each argument. In essences my audience should walk in each other's shoes. 

        As with any controversy there is information that may be unclear or hard to understand and so the purpose of this project is to summarize and condense the information. I am worried that the law mumbo-jumbo may be confusing to my audience. The setting is crucial for this controversy. State laws vary from state to state and as a result the fact that this story takes place in California is key. 

       As for the time period, medical advancements have made it possible for doctors to place people on life support, thus making the time period an important aspect to the controversy. Overall, my mission to is describe, analyze, and evaluate the case of Jahi McMath in an unbiased manner (no big deal).

AUTHOR:

     I think that I bring an element of persistence in the sense that I have been following Jahi's case on and off since it first started gaining popularity in the media. In high school, I took a theory of knowledge class and brain death/life-support came up as a topic of discussion. I had the opportunity to hear different sides or viewpoints and now that more evidence/information has been brought to light it has made investigating this controversy much more interesting.
    As an aspiring pharmacist from California (setting of the controversy) I think that Jahi's story aligns with my career passions. I want to go into the medical or health field and I think it is important to know and understand the issues, arguments, or debates that are going on.
    I think that I have the means necessary to execute this project fairly well. I have done tons of research and I've been putting in the time in order to become an expertise on the subject. In combination with me work-ethic I am confident that my controversy post-mortem project will be very informative and controversial. (fingers crossed)