Hurricane Katrina (Rhetorical Situation)

A rhetorical situation is made up of three parts. It contains exigence which is something that is urgent and needs to be addressed right away, an audience, for example who the situation is affecting, and constraints or limits to the situation. Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of New Orleans, Louisiana, and other parts off the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane was one of the strongest to ever hit the United States and destroyed the levees off the coast creating the worst flooding ever in the area. Many were warned, but not everybody listened. There were many lives lost as a result of the tragedy. The exigence of this situation was so urgent that it had to be handed immediately. Firemen, Policemen, and other relief efforts were supplied right away from local areas, but the amount of are that had to be covered was substantial. FEMA was called upon as the official relief effort of the tragedy. On September 15, 2005, President George W. Bush spoke to America about the disaster at hand and what he was going to do to fix it. He said, “we will do what it takes,” captured by CNN, to address this issue. Bush’s audience was all of America on that day, but more specifically, those who were in desperate need of saving. The constraints involved were that Bush had to act quickly to respond to the many that were still alive but trapped under all the wreckage and debris. Because the help was needed so quickly, Bush had to do what he could quickly before it was too late for the many survivors, such as supply search and rescue teams, new homes, and food and water.

In this example, the exigence was definitely the most significant factor. The matter had to be addressed right away so that the many stranded could receive essential help. The steps taken by Bush, although controversial, did save many lives in the end. His quick acting helped rescue many people, and supply homes and food to others. In a rhetorical situation, the exigence is usually the most important factor because of the time after the event that the happening needs to be addressed. If it is a life or death matter, fast thinking needs to be taken.