Bitzer determines the nature of a rhetorical discourse as a response to various climates or situations, the use of this response is to drive a movement toward a certain type of reaction from the audience.
The constituents that determine the effectiveness of the rhetoric are as follows: exigence, audience, and constraints
Audience is an ideal factor to take into consideration when addressing a problem through rhetoric. It is important to take note of what sort of people are present to be influenced by the discourse, and what change they can cause from what is being told to them. For instance, presenting a rhetorical argument that utilizes very technical, scientific diction, would do little to convince a group of elementary school children of whatever message the rhetoric is trying to convey.
Exigence is the next constituent. It can be thought of as the situation which is being addressed by the discourse. The exigence is what will motivate change from the audience, based on the topic which is chosen. The exigence should be one of importance to the population, or else there will little motivations for change. This can be portrayed through the topic of global warming, it is an obvious risk for every single person who inhabits the earth and thus serves as a worthwhile subject of inquiry.
The final constituent is constraints. I believe this to be the constituent that is mostly, out of the control of the author. It involves the impediments that may influence the delivery of the message. This includes personal belief, images, attitudes, facts, and traditions amongst other things. For example, a discourse on feminist ideals would not go well in the presence of certain males who come from a predominantly patriarchal society. Due to their preconceived notions that have been implemented to them through their society, these people are able to dismiss the discourse because they have a different attitude toward the place of women in society. This fact is out of the authors control and thus is a fundamental impediment toward the message of the rhetorical discourse.
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