There are various definitions of the word exigence which comes from the Latin word for demand. Bitzer coined the term in "The Rhetorical Situation" defining it as "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" (Bitzer 6). This is the most common and recognizable definition of the term but as a beginner in rhetoric,this is a bit confusing and wordy. What does it really mean?
Maybe your next step to understand the definition of the term is to look online or in a dictionary. You might go to Dictionary.com and find it defined as "the need, demand, or requirement intrinsic to a circumstance, condition,etc…" or maybe "a case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy; emergency." This might be a little easier to understand because it isn't as wordy and complicated as Bitzer's, but all of these definitions are more complex than they need to be.
An exigence is simply 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. An example of rhetorical exigence as Bitzer states in "The Rhetorical Situation" is racism because discourse is required to remove the problem.
There are two different perspectives on the rhetorical situation in regards to the term exigence between Bitzer and Vatz. The video below illustrates their different views of the definition of exigence. As you will see, there is an argument between Bitzer and Vatz about the definition of meaning and how exigence come about. These are the two main competing views that people argue when it comes to this term.
Maybe your next step to understand the definition of the term is to look online or in a dictionary. You might go to Dictionary.com and find it defined as "the need, demand, or requirement intrinsic to a circumstance, condition,etc…" or maybe "a case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy; emergency." This might be a little easier to understand because it isn't as wordy and complicated as Bitzer's, but all of these definitions are more complex than they need to be.
An exigence is simply 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. An example of rhetorical exigence as Bitzer states in "The Rhetorical Situation" is racism because discourse is required to remove the problem.
There are two different perspectives on the rhetorical situation in regards to the term exigence between Bitzer and Vatz. The video below illustrates their different views of the definition of exigence. As you will see, there is an argument between Bitzer and Vatz about the definition of meaning and how exigence come about. These are the two main competing views that people argue when it comes to this term.