In this Case Study, you will use Bitzer's concepts to evaluate a piece of public communication -- a response to hate mail. The hate mail was sent to the director of an art museum in Dresden, German named Hilke Wagner. You should begin by reading about her experience and how she responded to the hate mail in the article linked below.
Then, write up an aprox. 1,000-word essay where you address all of the following questions:
How would you describe the "rhetorical situation" that Ms. Wagner faced (using Bitzer's terminology)?
By Bitzer’s standards, do you think her response was fitting? Why or why not?
Finally, Vatz’s argument made in response to Bitzer’s theory of the “rhetorical situation” is that public communicators (or “rhetors”) can do more than address a “rhetorical situation,” they can redefine it. How did the museum director redefine the rhetorical situation with which she was met?
Sample Solution