Blog Assignment 2: Analyzing a Rhetorical Situation

To analyze a rhetorical situation that is written in biological terminology, I have chosen to use my Introduction to Limnology textbook. In this book, the context of issues that the writer seems to be discussing is the creation and evolution of lakes. Being a Biology major with preference to a molecular emphasis, I did not know much about lakes. I knew the general information such as the following: lakes are inland, lakes are all freshwater, and they are not that big. The writer of this book is able to carefully explain how I am wrong in everything I know about lakes because not all lakes are created equal and that although lakes are indeed inland, they also have a possibility of being saltwater and/or brackish and many lakes can become very large in size and depth. After reading these articles, I could not find a larger debate about the information the writer as posted. Most of the data that is stated is decently strong evidence of the writer’s claims. The main purpose at stake from these articles seems to be the author’s credibility and respect.

The author of this book is Stanley Dodson and I personally do not know anything of this Limnologist but I did eventually found out that Mr. Dodson’s writing background, credibility, and knowledge of this subject is very extensive. The type of publication that Mr. Dodson wrote in was a textbook that has no political slant, has a good reputation due to Mr. Dodson, and is intended for readers that are highly interested in Ecology, specifically Limnology. The call to write for Mr. Dodson is to author a complete book that discussed every single detail of lakes. The purpose of this textbook was to inform the readers of the different types of ways a lake can be formed yet they all yield the same result; A body of water enclosed by land on all sides. The primary audience of this reading seems to be specifically Biology students because the relationship between Mr. Dodson and the reader seems as if he is higher in the hierarchy and he is teaching us his knowledge. He is able to use certain types of language that is hard to grasp for newer biologists and his tone is very flat, somewhat like a “blah blah blah, this is information so absorb it” type of tone.

Overall, I think Mr. Dodson was able to communicate with Biological students, but barely. It seemed as if his terminology was more advanced, as if he were talking to his peers but his sentence structure was easy to follow. I think he could have made his choices of words at little more elementary so his ideal audience would be able to understand him better.

- Thang H