What is Exigence? Lesson and Activity
Exigence is when an issue, problem, or situation prompts someone to write or speak.
It is the motivating factor, the driving force behind why the writer or speaker is delivering their message.
While the purpose of a text is what a writer hopes to achieve with their message, exigence is merely what causes a person to sit down and write.
For example, the purpose of Martin Luther King’s speech, “I have a dream,” was to promote racial equality in the United States--particularly for African Americans. In his speech, King pinpoints how America had failed to keep its promises, and that the law had victimized African-Amerians, leaving many in poverty, and as King put it-- “an exile in his own land.”
The exigence for this speech is the historical context, or situation in which King lived. Racial segregation, prejudice, overt racism, and the growing civil rights movement--were all factors for why King wrote and delivered his speech. Had King lived in ancient Rome, the exigence and purpose for his rhetoric would surely have been different.
Your task is to read Cesar Chavez’s essay “He Showed us the Way” and analyze the purpose and exigence of that text?
Remember--the purpose of a text is what the writer hopes to achieve.
Does the writer want their audience to think a certain way, behave a certain way, or take action on some injustice?
The exigence, meanwhile, is what stimulates, inspires or provokes the writer to deliver their message.
Understanding the difference between exigence and purpose allows you to more specifically analyze texts rhetorically.
Cesar Chavez: He Showed. us the Way: https://ufw.org/he-showed-us-the-way-...
Cesar Chavez: He Showed us the Way Video: • Cesar Chavez: He Showed us the Way
👉👉👉Support me by buying mugs, t-shirts, notebooks and more! https://www.etsy.com/shop/TolentinoTe...
🔔 SUBSCRIBE for more for online teaching resources:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxVn...
🎥 WANT TO CREATE VIDEOS LIKE THESE?
This is the software I use: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
Books I recommend:
The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker: https://amzn.to/38m0FWm
How to Argue with a Cat by Jay Hendrichs: https://amzn.to/2MWQXCs
The Elements of Style Fourth Edition: https://amzn.to/2MZeent
On Writing Well by William Zinsser: https://amzn.to/30ouPnJ
👨💻 LET'S CONNECT
Instagram: / tolentinote. .
Facebook: / tolentinotea. .
Twitter: / tolentinoteach
Facebook ELA Group: / 24111. .
**Disclaimer: Tolentino Teaching is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and AWIN, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.com and http://paidforadvertising.com/