Analysis of a real life rhetorical situation - Essay Example

Analysis of a Real-life Rhetorical Situation This analysis features the rhetorical situation wherein a next-door neighbor and friend asked me to watch her two-year old for about an hour while she ran to the store to buy formula milk. She thought she had sufficient supply of formula but the baby accidentally knocked over the can of milk. Her husband was out of town and she could not take her baby with her because the toddler had a cold. She did not want to risk making her baby’s cold worse because it might trigger an asthma attack.

She said she would be as quick as possible and would be gone no more than an hour. She also pointed out that the baby just needed supervision while playing with her toys making sure that the baby would not put anything in her mouth and would not be climbing furniture. She further reasoned that the baby was also easy to entertain with her blocks and her other toys. I was concerned about watching the baby because I had little experience watching over babies. I did not know how to change a diaper, nor did I know how to feed the baby her formula.

I also did not know what to do in case the baby cried. My friend further reassured me that she just changed the baby’s diaper and she also just fed the baby so the baby would not need any changing or feeding in the next two hours. And by then, my friend said she would already be back from her errand. This rhetorical situation that I found myself in mainly involves my friend and her intention or goal to get me to watch her baby for about an hour. Her attitude is earnest as she is posing her request; she is worried about leaving her baby, but she knows she cannot take her baby with her.

My friend is a full-time mother and has been married for 3 years now to a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company. Her extended family lives in another state and she and her husband moved in next-door about a year ago. She has credibility in her words and her actions because I could see she is distraught and worried about not having enough milk to feed her baby, but she is also concerned enough about my capabilities in caring for her baby. She takes the time to instruct me on what to do and what not to do while caring for the child.

As an audience to this rhetorical situation, I am a student who is currently staying, for the weekend, at my parent’s house. My parents are away for the weekend and I am alone in our house. I have had little experience caring for children as I am an only child and single. I am reasonably convinced that I would be able to watch the baby for about an hour without incident. As long as her claims about her baby not needing any feeding or changing would hold true, then I am receptive to her concerns and her request.

The primary consideration in this situation is on whether or not I would agree to watch a toddler for an hour or so while her mother goes to buy baby formula. The mother reasons that the task would not take more than an hour and I would not be doing anything much for her baby. The mother uses logical reasons to convince me that it would not be too much of a bother to watch her baby. She also worked to reassure my fears and concerns about watching her baby. In making a decision about the situation, I used the usual concerns I would be meeting in watching a baby like changing the baby’s diaper, feeding the baby, entertaining the baby, and what to do if the baby would cry.

The context of this situation is based on the precept of doing what’s best for the child. Would the baby be better in the hands of the mother or in my inexperienced hands? The analysis for this rhetorical situation is being made based on the needed elements in order to justify my agreement to the responsibility of caring for the child. As a rhetorical situation, my friend speaks effectively in instructing me and in asking me to watch her child. She instructs me about all my possible concerns regarding the child and she makes sure that I know what to do when faced with different possibilities regarding the child’s care.

This rhetorical situation sets forth importance of making an assessment of any situation based on the context upon which it exists and upon which it is meant to unfold.