Empoword

General Introduction xlviii and produce texts that are tailored to those situations. Whenever you create a new piece of writing, you should ask, What will make my writing most effective based on my rhetorical situation? Every text comes into being within a specific rhetorical situation and reflects the characteristics and values of that situation. Although there are many ways to break down a rhetorical situation, I use the acronym SOAP for subject , occasion , audience , and purpose. 11 These are distinct elements, but they often overlap and inform one another. Let’s take a closer look: S ubject: The subject, put simply, is what you are writing about. It’s the topic, the argument, the main concern of the rhetoric you are producing or consuming. Every text has at least one subject; sometimes, a text will have both an implicit and explicit subject. O ccasion: Every piece of rhetoric is located in time and space. The term occasion refers to the sociohistorical circumstances that prompt the production of a piece of rhetoric. What is it that makes you write? How does your moment in culture, geography, and history influence your writing? Every text has an occasion; sometimes, that occasion is clearly stated, and other times we have to infer. A udience: The target audience for a piece of rhetoric is the person or group of people for whom you’re writing. Although many people will encounter certain texts, every piece of rhetoric is designed with a certain audience in mind. Every text has at least one audience; sometimes that audience is directly addressed, and other times we have to infer. P urpose: As I mentioned above, every piece of rhetoric tries to accomplish something. We can state this purpose using an infinitive verb phrase, like “to entertain,” “to persuade,” “to explain.” Every text has at least one purpose; sometimes that purpose is obvious, and sometimes it is insidious. Identifying these elements is only step one. What matters more are the implications that each of these elements carries. For each text you create, you should ask What is my subject? What is my occasion? Who is my audience? What is my purpose? But you should also ask How do each of those answers influence the way I will write?