{"id":2201,"date":"2020-06-02T21:47:06","date_gmt":"2020-06-02T21:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/?post_type=chapter&p=2201"},"modified":"2022-07-25T15:06:09","modified_gmt":"2022-07-25T15:06:09","slug":"essay-exigencywhat-makes-my-message-indispensable-to-my-reader-by-quentin-vieregge","status":"web-only","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/chapter\/essay-exigencywhat-makes-my-message-indispensable-to-my-reader-by-quentin-vieregge\/","title":{"raw":"Exigency: What Makes My Message Indispensable to My Reader By\u00a0Quentin Vieregge","rendered":"Exigency: What Makes My Message Indispensable to My Reader By\u00a0Quentin Vieregge"},"content":{"raw":"Excerpted from \"Exigency: What Makes My Message Indispensable to My Reader\" By\u00a0Quentin Vieregge in Writing Spaces<\/em>\r\n\r\nOverview<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThis essay defines<\/span> <\/strong>the word exigency<\/strong> <\/em>and explains its value as a way of gaining and holding a reader\u2019s interest.<\/span>\r\n\r\nExigency is defined as not simply explaining why a topic matters generally, but why it should matter specifically at this time and place and for one\u2019s intended readership. <\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nFour different strategies for invoking exigency are given with specific examples from student writing, journalistic writing, and trade books to clarify each strategy. Special attention is given to remind students of their rhetorical context, the interests of their readership, their readers\u2019 predispositions towards the subject matter and thesis (sympathetic, neutral, or antagonistic), and the possibility of connecting their thesis with larger issues, concerns, or values shared by the writer and his or her readers.\r\n

\u201cWhy is this essay worth my time?\"<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\r\nFrom an author\u2019s perspective, this question may sound unkind: \u201cOf course, it\u2019s worth your time, because I wrote it and poured over every word.\u201d But there\u2019s nothing more sacred to a reader than his or her own time (just recall the last time you had a paper with a fast approaching deadline and had to sort through a stack of library research). It\u2019s not enough to prove one\u2019s argument with irrefutable logic and overwhelming evidence; it\u2019s your responsibility to hold the reader\u2019s attention long enough for them to consider that evidence and logic.<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>\r\n\r\nInexperienced writers often assume that readers will have as much interest in a text\u2019s subject matter as they do, or they believe that the relevance of the text to the reader will be self-evident, but readers can be impatient, and must be convinced to read an argument before they can be persuaded to accept its thesis. It\u2019s the writer\u2019s job to clarify a text\u2019s relevance. <\/span>\r\n\r\nRhetoricians sometimes refer to this concept as a text\u2019s exigency, which may be defined as the circumstances and reasons why something matters\u2014not only generally, but specifically at this moment, in this place, for this group of people (presumably one\u2019s readership). <\/span><\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nThis essay will help you implement strategies to persuade your readers that your text is indispensable and that it cannot be put down, discarded, or be deferred until later.<\/span>\r\n

Exigency in the Classroom<\/h2>\r\nNow you might be thinking that the skill of evoking exigency might be essential for most writers, but not when composing school term papers. After all, you have a captive audience; the instructor must read your paper in order to grade it. She will have to read the entire text, and there\u2019s a good chance she\u2019s already interested in the subject matter. Furthermore, if your topic is chosen for you, then it\u2019s entirely possible you don\u2019t think that it\u2019s an absolutely essential or even pressing subject matter. Why bother, then, to make an argument sound enticing, especially if you may not really care about it anyway?<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe answer to that question is two-fold. First, if there are twenty other students in your class writing papers over the exact same topic\u2014or a closely related one\u2014then you need every advantage you can get. Providing your paper with exigency will make the professor all the more eager to read it, which will improve her evaluation of it. Second, teachers will sometimes expect students to write to a more skeptical audience, someone who hypothetically could discard the paper or reject a weak argument, and they grade with this other audience in mind. The instructor will read your paper regardless of whether you provide exigent circumstances, but she\u00a0<\/span>will notice the difference between a paper that merely goes through the motions and one that proclaims, \u201cread this because it will affect your understanding of an issue of essential importance.\u201d In a sense, your teacher is assuming a different persona\u2014pretending to be someone else, in this case a skeptical reader\u2014and expects you to do the same. However, the skill of invoking exigency isn\u2019t simply about earning a better grade; it\u2019s about captivating your audience and reinforcing the importance of your message, inside and outside of the classroom.<\/span>\r\n

Strategies for Invoking Exigency in Writing<\/h2>\r\n

1. Exigency through the Audience\u2019s Agenda or Concerns<\/h2>\r\nTo demonstrate that your paper has exigency, you first need to determine why<\/strong><\/em> you\u2019re writing. The immediate answer to this question might be, \u201cbecause it\u2019s part of my grade,\u201d and though this response is technically correct, it will not inspire stellar writing. Instead, one of the best ways to answer this question is to assume a different persona. <\/span>\r\n\r\nThink of a persona as a mask that you can put on or take off as a writer. It\u2019s a \u201cthink of yourself as\u201d rhetorical move. You might think of yourself as a student in one paper, a scholar involved in an ongoing literary discussion in another, or an employee proposing a detailed solution to a corporate problem in another. Once you begin to consider your persona\u2014and your reader\u2019s persona\u2014you can start to form an opinion about why your paper would be important. <\/span>\r\n\r\nHypothetical Writing Assignments<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\r\n\r\nImagine\u00a0<\/span>that you were assigned to write a research proposal where you had to identify a problem on the campus that you attend and develop a solution to that problem.<\/span> Your audience for this proposal would be whatever individual or group could effect the change you propose.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\r\n\r\nLet\u2019s say you decided to write about the lack of healthy food choices on campus. Your preliminary thesis sentence may look something like this: \u201cThe office of the dean of students should work with the Food Services Department to provide students with more healthy alternatives to the numerous fast food restaurants established on campus.\u201d<\/span><\/strong> <\/span>\r\n\r\nThat thesis sentence is clear enough, and a sympathetic reader might even already agree with you in principle: \u201cSure, I\u2019m in favor of options; who isn\u2019t, especially if they\u2019re healthy.\u201d But simply because your readers agree with your thesis doesn\u2019t guarantee that they will be persuaded that something actually has to be done to effect change or even that they should read the rest of the argument. They might think, \u201cBut this is not a pressing issue, and furthermore, it\u2019s not my problem. It should be a long-term goal, so I\u2019ll wait to take a closer look at this proposal.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\nTo capture your reader\u2019s attention, you should surround that thesis sentence with exigent circumstances that explain<\/strong> why this is an issue that mat<\/strong><\/em>ters here, now, and especially for your reader.<\/strong> <\/em>This involves understanding and empathizing with them, so that you can connect their values with your agenda. <\/span><\/span>\r\n\r\nQuestions to ask yourself:<\/strong>\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • What type of persona*<\/span> do I have as a writer? What is it that I care about?<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  • What type of persona<\/span> do my readers have? What do they value or find especially interesting? What common assumptions do they have, and do I share any of them? Do I believe any of their assumptions are false? What agenda do they have? What motivates them?<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  • \u00a0What pressing, essential, or surprising issue may I, as a writer, share with my readers?<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n(*Persona<\/span> in this sense has to do with your role in a particular situation and how you want to come across in a particular piece of writing. For example, as a writer, you compose texts to your friends differently than you compose an email to professor or employer. We all have roles in our academic or professional lives.)\r\n\r\nGo through and methodically answer each of the questions above, perhaps building a table (see below)<\/strong>. Focus especially on finding out what matters to your reader on a daily basis, how they define their relationship to the topic you\u2019re writing about.<\/span><\/span>\r\n
    \r\n\r\nTable 1\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    \r\n

    Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    Answers<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    What is my audience\u2019s persona?<\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    The dean of students<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    What is my persona?<\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    A student (not simply a student-writer) who is concerned about an issue on campus.<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    What is my agenda?<\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    To provide a healthy food alternatives. Writer needs to convince those in power to make changes.<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n

    \r\n

    What values or concerns do my readers have?<\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

    		\r\n

    After researching the job description\u00a0 for the dean, the writer found out the dean has a mission statement. The mission statement has yielded a connection, which will require explanation but will at least hold the readers\u2019 attention.<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nSample Introductory Paragraph:<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nNow that the persona of both the writers and readers has been thoroughly examined, the introduction can be written with an eye towards invoking exigency. The paragraph below represents how the thesis above may be merged with the additional contextual information in order to invoke exigency\u00a0(get readers to care about what you are writing<\/span>):<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe office of the dean of students at this university claims in its mission statement that it promotes a vibrant learning environment in part by \u201c[collaborating] with institutional partners to address the needs of the student body\u201d (Dean of Students Office). Further- more, the dean wants to \u201csupport student learning\u201d in part by \u201c[reducing] barriers to student success\u201d (Dean of Students Office). I applaud the dean\u2019s interest in how the entire campus experience can contribute to a student\u2019s ability to succeed and learn, but not enough has been done to provide students with nutritious options. Secondary schools across the country are beginning to provide junior high and high school kids with healthy meals, and researchers have well established a link between proper nutrition and learning potential. It\u2019s time for higher education to do the same. Therefore, I propose that the office of the dean of students work with the food services department to provide students with more healthy alternatives to the numerous fast food restaurants established on campus. I am convinced that the following proposal will live up to this university\u2019s excellent reputation of improving the daily lives of its students.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span>\r\n\r\nThis passage demonstrates exigent circumstances by finding relevant research about a correlation between nutrition and learning. But, just as importantly, the student-writer researched the values and motivations of the intended audience, the dean of students. The student-writer matched language from the school\u2019s mission statement with the proposal that students should have more nutritious food options. Instead of the writer imposing an additional responsibility upon the dean\u2019s time and workload, the research proposal is framed as a way of helping the dean achieve his own goals. The tone is laudatory and encouraging: \u201cI applaud the dean\u2019s interest\u201d and \u201cexcellent reputation of improving the daily lives of its students.\u201d By answering the questions in table 1, the student has found a way to surprise the dean, showing him an added layer that complicates his mission of improving the learning environment.<\/span>\r\n

    2. Exigency Through a Gap in the Research<\/h2>\r\nOne of the most common methods for creating exigency (getting readers to care about what you are writing) in academic writing involves \u201ccreating a gap in the research,\u201d a well-worn phrase that most professors have heard and used numerous times. The strategy involves finding something new to say that contributes to an ongoing discussion<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n
    \r\n\r\nLet\u2019s see how this approach might work in a student paper. The following paper is about the detrimental effects of media monopolies on the integrity of journalism:<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe dispute over media convergence and its effects on journalistic quality, motives, and localism has been the main focus of media professionals since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reformed its regulations on cross-media ownership in 2003. Since 1975, newspapers have been barred from purchasing television stations in the same market, in order to prevent news monopolies. Now, with the opportunity to deliver news across many platforms in a single market, management has shifted their focus from news content to audience reach, causing many to wonder if and when a compromise to the media\u2019s main objective as \u201cpublic watchdog\u201d will be shifted to meet the goals of improving their company\u2019s bottom line. \u201cThe questions that this transformation raises are simple enough\u2026.what should be done to shape this new landscape, to help assure that the essential elements of independent, original, and credible news reporting are preserved?\u201d (Downie, Jr. & Schudson). Without the cooperation of the government, educational institutions, and media companies, it is al- most certain that American journalism will continue to lose its focus, resulting in a three-ring media circus.<\/strong><\/span><\/em>\r\n\r\nThis passage does an excellent job of placing the paper\u2019s topic within a larger academic conversation. The introduction connects the writer\u2019s thesis to an ongoing debate about the \u201cdispute over media convergence and its effects on journalistic quality, motives, and localism.\u201d Words like \u201cdispute\u201d emphasize the ongoing debate that scholars have about how Americans can reliably get their news. She does an excellent job of fitting herself within an existing debate with phrases like \u201chas been the main focus of media professionals\u201d and \u201ccausing many to wonder.\u201d These references to other writers clarify the relevance of the student-writer\u2019s argument by showing how her paper responds to problems or questions others have identified. It\u2019s like saying, \u201cI\u2019ve noticed you are very concerned about X; I have a thought about that subject too.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

    3. Exigency Through Reframing the Subject Matter<\/h2>\r\nExigency is not always invoked by explaining a gap in the current research; there are times when the best way to demonstrate a topic\u2019s importance is to redefine what the issue is about.<\/strong> You might think of this rhetorical strategy as \u201creframing\u201d an issue. Writers reframe their subject matter by shifting our understanding of the surrounding context. In other words, it\u2019s a matter of what ideas, words, memories, or beliefs we associate an issue with.<\/span>\r\n\r\nConsider, for instance, an issue that arose in the summer of 2010 in New York City. A national controversy was spurred by plans to build an Islamic cultural center a few blocks away from where the World Trade Center Towers had been located before they were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (Fisher). These construction plans spurred debate about whether the cultural center was symbolically appropriate and whether it was an embodiment of American values or an insult to those values. Many people questioned whether it was appropriate for the Islamic center\u2014sometimes referred to as the Cordoba house\u2014to be placed near the location of a horrific terroristic attack (Fisher). Since millions of Americans who opposed the Islamic Center may have felt a sense of urgency about stopping its construction, a speech in favor of the center would face a particular challenge. The speech would need to address a skeptical audience, and it would need to convey a sense of exigency about why the completed construction of the Cordoba house was indispensable for America\u2019s future (the precise opposite of the audience\u2019s perspective). New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made such an argument and crafted exigent circumstances by redefining the context (Bloomberg). Instead of people associating the Cordoba house with \u201cground zero,\u201d \u201cSeptember 11th,\u201d or religious effrontery, he needed them to associate it with America\u2019s long history of religious tolerance.<\/span>\r\n
    \r\n\r\nBloomberg catches hold of his readers\u2019 attention by reframing the issue in at least two ways. First, he connects the topic of the Cordoba house to religious freedom from the founding of New York City in the 17th century. Early in his speech he states, \u201cOf all our precious freedoms, the most important may be the freedom to worship as we wish. And it is a freedom that, even here in a city that is rooted in Dutch tolerance, was hard-won over many years\u201d (Bloomberg). Bloomberg then reviews how Jewish immigrants, Quakers, and Catholics all faced resistance by others in New York. By connecting the recent Islamic controversy to similar past conflicts, he can argue that \u201c[w]e would betray our values\u2014and play into our enemies\u2019 hands\u2014if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else\u201d (Bloomberg). Only after reframing the debate from one about civic sensibility and 9\/11 to one concerning religious freedom, can the mayor explain why his message is indispensable to his listener. He skillfully waits until the middle of his speech to confidently assert, \u201cI believe that this is an important test of the separation of church and state as we may see in our lifetime\u2014as important a test\u2014and it is critically important that we get it right\u201d (Bloomberg ). His argument that the government should not prohibit people from worshiping as they wish could have been made with- out these exigent circumstances, but their inclusion changes the tone from one of a defensive posture to a more vigorous one. This example provides at least three lessons about exigency:\r\n
      \r\n \t
    • Sometimes it\u2019s best to invoke exigency in the middle of the text or even in the conclusion.<\/li>\r\n \t
    • Consider delaying invoking exigency when a) your reader doesn\u2019t share your underlying assumptions, b) when your reader is unaware of the ongoing academic discussion c) when it\u2019s more important to leave your readers with a lasting impression than it is to grab their attention immediately d) when your thesis is placed in the middle or the end of your paper.<\/li>\r\n \t
    • Whether reframing an issue or finding a gap in the research, exigency often involves connecting one\u2019s thesis with the audience\u2019s values. Reframing an issue involves the additional step of suggest- ing that readers focus on a different set of values than they other- wise would.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
      \r\n

      4. Exigency Through a Radical Reinterpretation of Knowledge or Experience<\/h2>\r\nSometimes writers try to surprise their readers with a bold claim, a counterintuitive idea, or a reconsidered foundational premise<\/em>.<\/strong> Consider the following titles of bestselling books:\r\n\r\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 The World is Flat: A Brief History of The Twenty-First Century<\/em>, by Thomas L. Friedman\r\n\r\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today\u2019s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter<\/em>, by Steven Johnson\r\n\r\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 The Wisdom of the Crowds: Why the Many are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economics, Societies and Nations<\/em>, by James Surowiecki\r\n\r\nEach of these books tries to revolutionize the way that we think about their topics. The titles are crafted to provoke a confused but intrigued response: \u201cWhat does the author mean by that?\u201d \u201cIs there something I don\u2019t know?\u201d Bold claims can usually command attention, but only if the importance of the idea and its degree of innovation are properly established. . If you can appear to be turning the world on its head, unveiling an unseen world, or persuading people that up is in fact down, then you will have your readers\u2019 undivided attention.\r\n

      Radical Reinterpretation in Student Writing<\/h3>\r\nIn the following exegesis of Wendy Cope\u2019s poem \u201cLonely Hearts,\u201d the student-writer proffers a counterintuitive analysis of the tone of the poem. On the surface, the villanelle appears to have a light mood that speaks of unfulfilled relationships, but a darker tone surprisingly lies underneath this initial interpretation:\r\n\r\nSolitude. It is a fear that has crossed many a mind for ages\u2014the idea of being alone or, worst of all, dying alone. But is this loneliness individualistic in nature? Or does it serve to represent a tragic element of the human condition: to be in a constant search of companionship, an obsession so hard-wired that we often fail to see the bonds from person to person? These are questions explored by Wendy Cope in her poem \u201cLonely Hearts,\u201d a villanelle written in the form of pieced-together personal ads from a newspaper. On the basic level, \u201cLonely Hearts\u201d amuses and entertains, seeming to\u00a0poke fun at those \u201clonely hearts\u201d that place personal ads. But upon closer reading, the serious underpinnings of Cope\u2019s poem reveal themselves and a deeper theme emerges. Through the careful use of personal ad language, villanelle form, and ambiguity of point of view, Wendy Cope illustrates the shared loneliness of the poem\u2019s speakers that ultimately renders the poem ironic.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
      \r\n\r\nCan you spot how the student\u2019s introduction creates a surprise? There is a slow shift in her language from a theme of loneliness expressed with a jovial tone to one of \u201cshared loneliness\u201d (a term that is counterintuitive, itself) expressed with sobriety. The second half of the paragraph contains the thesis, but it\u2019s the first half that makes the thesis worth investigating. It invites readers to reconsider a poem that they have merely glossed over. It\u2019s like Alice going through the rabbit hole.\r\n

      Genre and Exigency: Finding the Right Fit<\/h2>\r\nEach genre has its own conventions and might easily fit with one of these strategies more than others. The word genre refers to a set of rhetorical expectations that accompany a recurring type of writing, whether it be practical or artistic. For instance, in business writing, there are rhetorical expectations that are associated with positive newsletters and a separate set of expectations for business letters that give people negative news. There are rhetorical expectations for emails, text-messages, news articles, poetry, drama, and even movie trailers, to name a few genres. Genre conventions are not hard and fast rules, but they do provide guidance.\r\n
        \r\n \t
      • Job Application Materials: Definitely \u201cexigency through the audience\u2019s agenda or concerns\u201d applies here. It\u2019s at the heart of any r\u00e9sum\u00e9 or job letter. What you can do for the company is the only thing a potential employer cares about.<\/li>\r\n \t
      • Business Proposal: \u201cExigency through the audience\u2019s agenda or concerns\u201d is the most appropriate.<\/li>\r\n \t
      • Term Paper (where the topic has been discussed in class): With an ongoing discussion to references made in class, you could use any of the final three strategies.<\/li>\r\n \t
      • Term Paper (where the topic has been written about exhaustively or where the positions people take are predictable): This is the most difficult type of paper to write about (i.e. abortion, gun control, legalization of marijuana). Use the reframing technique or the counterintuitive technique to create a fresh perspective.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nThese strategies are oftentimes used simultaneously, and you may have noticed that there is some overlap between them. Though they may be nebulous categorizations, they provide a useful tool for providing a sense of urgency to your writing. I have personally found that when I think about exigency, it helps add passion to my writing, and it gives me a voice as a writer. Without exigency, I\u2019m an aimless soul drifting in the dark night without a sail or a strong wind. But exigency brings with it a definition of who I am in the text (my persona), who my readers are (their personas), and the common bonds that connect use together. If you use these techniques it will help to animate your writing and motivate your readers to keep read- ing and carefully consider your argument.\r\n\r\nWorks Cited\r\n\r\nBloomberg, Michael. \u201cMayor Bloomberg Discusses the Landmarks Preservation Commission Vote on 45\u201347 Park Place.\u201d NYC<\/em>, uploaded by The City of New York, 3 Aug. 2010, https:\/\/www1.nyc.gov\/office-of-the-mayor\/news\/337-10\/ mayor-bloomberg-the-landmarks-preservation-commission-vote-45-47-park- place#\/2\r\n\r\nCope, Wendy. \u201cLonely Hearts.\u201d An Introduction to Poetry<\/em>, edited by X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, 13th ed., Longman, 2010, pp. 61.\r\n\r\nDownie Jr., Leonard and Michael Schudson. \u201cThe Reconstruction of Amer- ican Journalism.\u201d Columbia Journalism Review<\/em>, vol. 48, no. 4, Nov\/Dec 2009, https:\/\/archives.cjr.org\/reconstruction\/the_reconstruction_of_ameri- can.php.\r\n\r\nDean of Students Office<\/em>. University of South Florida, https:\/\/www.usf.edu\/student-affairs\/dean-of-students\/. Accessed 3 June 2019.\r\n\r\nFisher, Max. \u201cIs the Cordoba House Good for America?\u201d The Atlantic<\/em>, 3 Aug. 2010, https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/national\/archive\/2010\/08\/is-the-cordoba-house-good-for-america\/344631\/. Accessed 8 September 2019.\r\n\r\nFriedman, Thomas L. The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Cen- tury<\/em>. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.\r\n\r\nJohnson, Steven. Everything Bad is Good For You: How Today\u2019s Popular Culture is <\/em>Actually Making Us Smarter<\/em>. Riverhead Books, 2005.\r\n\r\nSurowiecki, James. The Wisdom of the Crowds: Why the Many are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economics, Societies and Nations<\/em>. Doubleday, 2004.\r\n
        \r\n\r\nExigency: What Makes My Message Indispensable to My Reader by\u00a0Quentin Vieregge\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\nThis essay is a chapter in Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing<\/em>, Volume 3, a peer-reviewed open textbook series for the writing classroom.\r\n\r\nDownload the full volume and individual chapters from any of these sites:\r\n\r\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 Writing Spaces: http:\/\/writingspaces.org\/essays\r\n\r\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 Parlor Press: http:\/\/parlorpress.com\/pages\/writing-spaces\r\n\r\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 WAC Clearinghouse: http:\/\/wac.colostate.edu\/books\/\r\n\r\nPrint versions of the volume are available for purchase directly from Parlor Press and through other booksellers.\r\n\r\nParlor Press LLC, Anderson, South Carolina, USA \u00a9 2020 by Parlor Press. Individual essays \u00a9 2020 by the respective authors. Unless otherwise stated, these works are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) and are subject to the Writing Spaces Terms of Use. To view a copy of this license, visit http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/, email info@creativecommons.org, or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA. To view the Writing Spaces Terms of Use, visit http:\/\/writingspaces.org\/terms-of-use. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, please contact the author(s) of the individual articles, who are the respective copyright owners. Cover design by Colin Charlton. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on File\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n ","rendered":"

        Excerpted from “Exigency: What Makes My Message Indispensable to My Reader” By\u00a0Quentin Vieregge in Writing Spaces<\/em><\/p>\n

        Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

        This essay defines<\/span> <\/strong>the word exigency<\/strong> <\/em>and explains its value as a way of gaining and holding a reader\u2019s interest.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Exigency is defined as not simply explaining why a topic matters generally, but why it should matter specifically at this time and place and for one\u2019s intended readership. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

        Four different strategies for invoking exigency are given with specific examples from student writing, journalistic writing, and trade books to clarify each strategy. Special attention is given to remind students of their rhetorical context, the interests of their readership, their readers\u2019 predispositions towards the subject matter and thesis (sympathetic, neutral, or antagonistic), and the possibility of connecting their thesis with larger issues, concerns, or values shared by the writer and his or her readers.<\/p>\n

        \u201cWhy is this essay worth my time?”<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

        From an author\u2019s perspective, this question may sound unkind: \u201cOf course, it\u2019s worth your time, because I wrote it and poured over every word.\u201d But there\u2019s nothing more sacred to a reader than his or her own time (just recall the last time you had a paper with a fast approaching deadline and had to sort through a stack of library research). It\u2019s not enough to prove one\u2019s argument with irrefutable logic and overwhelming evidence; it\u2019s your responsibility to hold the reader\u2019s attention long enough for them to consider that evidence and logic.<\/strong> <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

        Inexperienced writers often assume that readers will have as much interest in a text\u2019s subject matter as they do, or they believe that the relevance of the text to the reader will be self-evident, but readers can be impatient, and must be convinced to read an argument before they can be persuaded to accept its thesis. It\u2019s the writer\u2019s job to clarify a text\u2019s relevance. <\/span><\/p>\n

        Rhetoricians sometimes refer to this concept as a text\u2019s exigency, which may be defined as the circumstances and reasons why something matters\u2014not only generally, but specifically at this moment, in this place, for this group of people (presumably one\u2019s readership). <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

        This essay will help you implement strategies to persuade your readers that your text is indispensable and that it cannot be put down, discarded, or be deferred until later.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Exigency in the Classroom<\/h2>\n

        Now you might be thinking that the skill of evoking exigency might be essential for most writers, but not when composing school term papers. After all, you have a captive audience; the instructor must read your paper in order to grade it. She will have to read the entire text, and there\u2019s a good chance she\u2019s already interested in the subject matter. Furthermore, if your topic is chosen for you, then it\u2019s entirely possible you don\u2019t think that it\u2019s an absolutely essential or even pressing subject matter. Why bother, then, to make an argument sound enticing, especially if you may not really care about it anyway?<\/span><\/p>\n

        The answer to that question is two-fold. First, if there are twenty other students in your class writing papers over the exact same topic\u2014or a closely related one\u2014then you need every advantage you can get. Providing your paper with exigency will make the professor all the more eager to read it, which will improve her evaluation of it. Second, teachers will sometimes expect students to write to a more skeptical audience, someone who hypothetically could discard the paper or reject a weak argument, and they grade with this other audience in mind. The instructor will read your paper regardless of whether you provide exigent circumstances, but she\u00a0<\/span>will notice the difference between a paper that merely goes through the motions and one that proclaims, \u201cread this because it will affect your understanding of an issue of essential importance.\u201d In a sense, your teacher is assuming a different persona\u2014pretending to be someone else, in this case a skeptical reader\u2014and expects you to do the same. However, the skill of invoking exigency isn\u2019t simply about earning a better grade; it\u2019s about captivating your audience and reinforcing the importance of your message, inside and outside of the classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Strategies for Invoking Exigency in Writing<\/h2>\n

        1. Exigency through the Audience\u2019s Agenda or Concerns<\/h2>\n

        To demonstrate that your paper has exigency, you first need to determine why<\/strong><\/em> you\u2019re writing. The immediate answer to this question might be, \u201cbecause it\u2019s part of my grade,\u201d and though this response is technically correct, it will not inspire stellar writing. Instead, one of the best ways to answer this question is to assume a different persona. <\/span><\/p>\n

        Think of a persona as a mask that you can put on or take off as a writer. It\u2019s a \u201cthink of yourself as\u201d rhetorical move. You might think of yourself as a student in one paper, a scholar involved in an ongoing literary discussion in another, or an employee proposing a detailed solution to a corporate problem in another. Once you begin to consider your persona\u2014and your reader\u2019s persona\u2014you can start to form an opinion about why your paper would be important. <\/span><\/p>\n

        Hypothetical Writing Assignments<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

        Imagine\u00a0<\/span>that you were assigned to write a research proposal where you had to identify a problem on the campus that you attend and develop a solution to that problem.<\/span> Your audience for this proposal would be whatever individual or group could effect the change you propose.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

        Let\u2019s say you decided to write about the lack of healthy food choices on campus. Your preliminary thesis sentence may look something like this: \u201cThe office of the dean of students should work with the Food Services Department to provide students with more healthy alternatives to the numerous fast food restaurants established on campus.\u201d<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

        That thesis sentence is clear enough, and a sympathetic reader might even already agree with you in principle: \u201cSure, I\u2019m in favor of options; who isn\u2019t, especially if they\u2019re healthy.\u201d But simply because your readers agree with your thesis doesn\u2019t guarantee that they will be persuaded that something actually has to be done to effect change or even that they should read the rest of the argument. They might think, \u201cBut this is not a pressing issue, and furthermore, it\u2019s not my problem. It should be a long-term goal, so I\u2019ll wait to take a closer look at this proposal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

        To capture your reader\u2019s attention, you should surround that thesis sentence with exigent circumstances that explain<\/strong> why this is an issue that mat<\/strong><\/em>ters here, now, and especially for your reader.<\/strong> <\/em>This involves understanding and empathizing with them, so that you can connect their values with your agenda. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

        Questions to ask yourself:<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        • What type of persona*<\/span> do I have as a writer? What is it that I care about?<\/span><\/li>\n
        • What type of persona<\/span> do my readers have? What do they value or find especially interesting? What common assumptions do they have, and do I share any of them? Do I believe any of their assumptions are false? What agenda do they have? What motivates them?<\/span><\/li>\n
        • \u00a0What pressing, essential, or surprising issue may I, as a writer, share with my readers?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          (*Persona<\/span> in this sense has to do with your role in a particular situation and how you want to come across in a particular piece of writing. For example, as a writer, you compose texts to your friends differently than you compose an email to professor or employer. We all have roles in our academic or professional lives.)<\/p>\n

          Go through and methodically answer each of the questions above, perhaps building a table (see below)<\/strong>. Focus especially on finding out what matters to your reader on a daily basis, how they define their relationship to the topic you\u2019re writing about.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

          \n

          Table 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
          \n

          Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

          		\n

          Answers<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

          \n

          What is my audience\u2019s persona?<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

          		\n

          The dean of students<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

          \n

          What is my persona?<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

          		\n

          A student (not simply a student-writer) who is concerned about an issue on campus.<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

          \n

          What is my agenda?<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

          		\n

          To provide a healthy food alternatives. Writer needs to convince those in power to make changes.<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

          \n

          What values or concerns do my readers have?<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

          		\n

          After researching the job description\u00a0 for the dean, the writer found out the dean has a mission statement. The mission statement has yielded a connection, which will require explanation but will at least hold the readers\u2019 attention.<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

           <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

          Sample Introductory Paragraph:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

          Now that the persona of both the writers and readers has been thoroughly examined, the introduction can be written with an eye towards invoking exigency. The paragraph below represents how the thesis above may be merged with the additional contextual information in order to invoke exigency\u00a0(get readers to care about what you are writing<\/span>):<\/strong><\/p>\n

          The office of the dean of students at this university claims in its mission statement that it promotes a vibrant learning environment in part by \u201c[collaborating] with institutional partners to address the needs of the student body\u201d (Dean of Students Office). Further- more, the dean wants to \u201csupport student learning\u201d in part by \u201c[reducing] barriers to student success\u201d (Dean of Students Office). I applaud the dean\u2019s interest in how the entire campus experience can contribute to a student\u2019s ability to succeed and learn, but not enough has been done to provide students with nutritious options. Secondary schools across the country are beginning to provide junior high and high school kids with healthy meals, and researchers have well established a link between proper nutrition and learning potential. It\u2019s time for higher education to do the same. Therefore, I propose that the office of the dean of students work with the food services department to provide students with more healthy alternatives to the numerous fast food restaurants established on campus. I am convinced that the following proposal will live up to this university\u2019s excellent reputation of improving the daily lives of its students.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

          This passage demonstrates exigent circumstances by finding relevant research about a correlation between nutrition and learning. But, just as importantly, the student-writer researched the values and motivations of the intended audience, the dean of students. The student-writer matched language from the school\u2019s mission statement with the proposal that students should have more nutritious food options. Instead of the writer imposing an additional responsibility upon the dean\u2019s time and workload, the research proposal is framed as a way of helping the dean achieve his own goals. The tone is laudatory and encouraging: \u201cI applaud the dean\u2019s interest\u201d and \u201cexcellent reputation of improving the daily lives of its students.\u201d By answering the questions in table 1, the student has found a way to surprise the dean, showing him an added layer that complicates his mission of improving the learning environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

          2. Exigency Through a Gap in the Research<\/h2>\n

          One of the most common methods for creating exigency (getting readers to care about what you are writing) in academic writing involves \u201ccreating a gap in the research,\u201d a well-worn phrase that most professors have heard and used numerous times. The strategy involves finding something new to say that contributes to an ongoing discussion<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          \n

          Let\u2019s see how this approach might work in a student paper. The following paper is about the detrimental effects of media monopolies on the integrity of journalism:<\/strong><\/p>\n

          The dispute over media convergence and its effects on journalistic quality, motives, and localism has been the main focus of media professionals since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reformed its regulations on cross-media ownership in 2003. Since 1975, newspapers have been barred from purchasing television stations in the same market, in order to prevent news monopolies. Now, with the opportunity to deliver news across many platforms in a single market, management has shifted their focus from news content to audience reach, causing many to wonder if and when a compromise to the media\u2019s main objective as \u201cpublic watchdog\u201d will be shifted to meet the goals of improving their company\u2019s bottom line. \u201cThe questions that this transformation raises are simple enough\u2026.what should be done to shape this new landscape, to help assure that the essential elements of independent, original, and credible news reporting are preserved?\u201d (Downie, Jr. & Schudson). Without the cooperation of the government, educational institutions, and media companies, it is al- most certain that American journalism will continue to lose its focus, resulting in a three-ring media circus.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

          This passage does an excellent job of placing the paper\u2019s topic within a larger academic conversation. The introduction connects the writer\u2019s thesis to an ongoing debate about the \u201cdispute over media convergence and its effects on journalistic quality, motives, and localism.\u201d Words like \u201cdispute\u201d emphasize the ongoing debate that scholars have about how Americans can reliably get their news. She does an excellent job of fitting herself within an existing debate with phrases like \u201chas been the main focus of media professionals\u201d and \u201ccausing many to wonder.\u201d These references to other writers clarify the relevance of the student-writer\u2019s argument by showing how her paper responds to problems or questions others have identified. It\u2019s like saying, \u201cI\u2019ve noticed you are very concerned about X; I have a thought about that subject too.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

          3. Exigency Through Reframing the Subject Matter<\/h2>\n

          Exigency is not always invoked by explaining a gap in the current research; there are times when the best way to demonstrate a topic\u2019s importance is to redefine what the issue is about.<\/strong> You might think of this rhetorical strategy as \u201creframing\u201d an issue. Writers reframe their subject matter by shifting our understanding of the surrounding context. In other words, it\u2019s a matter of what ideas, words, memories, or beliefs we associate an issue with.<\/span><\/p>\n

          Consider, for instance, an issue that arose in the summer of 2010 in New York City. A national controversy was spurred by plans to build an Islamic cultural center a few blocks away from where the World Trade Center Towers had been located before they were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (Fisher). These construction plans spurred debate about whether the cultural center was symbolically appropriate and whether it was an embodiment of American values or an insult to those values. Many people questioned whether it was appropriate for the Islamic center\u2014sometimes referred to as the Cordoba house\u2014to be placed near the location of a horrific terroristic attack (Fisher). Since millions of Americans who opposed the Islamic Center may have felt a sense of urgency about stopping its construction, a speech in favor of the center would face a particular challenge. The speech would need to address a skeptical audience, and it would need to convey a sense of exigency about why the completed construction of the Cordoba house was indispensable for America\u2019s future (the precise opposite of the audience\u2019s perspective). New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made such an argument and crafted exigent circumstances by redefining the context (Bloomberg). Instead of people associating the Cordoba house with \u201cground zero,\u201d \u201cSeptember 11th,\u201d or religious effrontery, he needed them to associate it with America\u2019s long history of religious tolerance.<\/span><\/p>\n

          \n

          Bloomberg catches hold of his readers\u2019 attention by reframing the issue in at least two ways. First, he connects the topic of the Cordoba house to religious freedom from the founding of New York City in the 17th century. Early in his speech he states, \u201cOf all our precious freedoms, the most important may be the freedom to worship as we wish. And it is a freedom that, even here in a city that is rooted in Dutch tolerance, was hard-won over many years\u201d (Bloomberg). Bloomberg then reviews how Jewish immigrants, Quakers, and Catholics all faced resistance by others in New York. By connecting the recent Islamic controversy to similar past conflicts, he can argue that \u201c[w]e would betray our values\u2014and play into our enemies\u2019 hands\u2014if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else\u201d (Bloomberg). Only after reframing the debate from one about civic sensibility and 9\/11 to one concerning religious freedom, can the mayor explain why his message is indispensable to his listener. He skillfully waits until the middle of his speech to confidently assert, \u201cI believe that this is an important test of the separation of church and state as we may see in our lifetime\u2014as important a test\u2014and it is critically important that we get it right\u201d (Bloomberg ). His argument that the government should not prohibit people from worshiping as they wish could have been made with- out these exigent circumstances, but their inclusion changes the tone from one of a defensive posture to a more vigorous one. This example provides at least three lessons about exigency:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Sometimes it\u2019s best to invoke exigency in the middle of the text or even in the conclusion.<\/li>\n
          • Consider delaying invoking exigency when a) your reader doesn\u2019t share your underlying assumptions, b) when your reader is unaware of the ongoing academic discussion c) when it\u2019s more important to leave your readers with a lasting impression than it is to grab their attention immediately d) when your thesis is placed in the middle or the end of your paper.<\/li>\n
          • Whether reframing an issue or finding a gap in the research, exigency often involves connecting one\u2019s thesis with the audience\u2019s values. Reframing an issue involves the additional step of suggest- ing that readers focus on a different set of values than they other- wise would.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
            \n

            4. Exigency Through a Radical Reinterpretation of Knowledge or Experience<\/h2>\n

            Sometimes writers try to surprise their readers with a bold claim, a counterintuitive idea, or a reconsidered foundational premise<\/em>.<\/strong> Consider the following titles of bestselling books:<\/p>\n

            \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 The World is Flat: A Brief History of The Twenty-First Century<\/em>, by Thomas L. Friedman<\/p>\n

            \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today\u2019s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter<\/em>, by Steven Johnson<\/p>\n

            \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 The Wisdom of the Crowds: Why the Many are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economics, Societies and Nations<\/em>, by James Surowiecki<\/p>\n

            Each of these books tries to revolutionize the way that we think about their topics. The titles are crafted to provoke a confused but intrigued response: \u201cWhat does the author mean by that?\u201d \u201cIs there something I don\u2019t know?\u201d Bold claims can usually command attention, but only if the importance of the idea and its degree of innovation are properly established. . If you can appear to be turning the world on its head, unveiling an unseen world, or persuading people that up is in fact down, then you will have your readers\u2019 undivided attention.<\/p>\n

            Radical Reinterpretation in Student Writing<\/h3>\n

            In the following exegesis of Wendy Cope\u2019s poem \u201cLonely Hearts,\u201d the student-writer proffers a counterintuitive analysis of the tone of the poem. On the surface, the villanelle appears to have a light mood that speaks of unfulfilled relationships, but a darker tone surprisingly lies underneath this initial interpretation:<\/p>\n

            Solitude. It is a fear that has crossed many a mind for ages\u2014the idea of being alone or, worst of all, dying alone. But is this loneliness individualistic in nature? Or does it serve to represent a tragic element of the human condition: to be in a constant search of companionship, an obsession so hard-wired that we often fail to see the bonds from person to person? These are questions explored by Wendy Cope in her poem \u201cLonely Hearts,\u201d a villanelle written in the form of pieced-together personal ads from a newspaper. On the basic level, \u201cLonely Hearts\u201d amuses and entertains, seeming to\u00a0poke fun at those \u201clonely hearts\u201d that place personal ads. But upon closer reading, the serious underpinnings of Cope\u2019s poem reveal themselves and a deeper theme emerges. Through the careful use of personal ad language, villanelle form, and ambiguity of point of view, Wendy Cope illustrates the shared loneliness of the poem\u2019s speakers that ultimately renders the poem ironic.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

            \n

            Can you spot how the student\u2019s introduction creates a surprise? There is a slow shift in her language from a theme of loneliness expressed with a jovial tone to one of \u201cshared loneliness\u201d (a term that is counterintuitive, itself) expressed with sobriety. The second half of the paragraph contains the thesis, but it\u2019s the first half that makes the thesis worth investigating. It invites readers to reconsider a poem that they have merely glossed over. It\u2019s like Alice going through the rabbit hole.<\/p>\n

            Genre and Exigency: Finding the Right Fit<\/h2>\n

            Each genre has its own conventions and might easily fit with one of these strategies more than others. The word genre refers to a set of rhetorical expectations that accompany a recurring type of writing, whether it be practical or artistic. For instance, in business writing, there are rhetorical expectations that are associated with positive newsletters and a separate set of expectations for business letters that give people negative news. There are rhetorical expectations for emails, text-messages, news articles, poetry, drama, and even movie trailers, to name a few genres. Genre conventions are not hard and fast rules, but they do provide guidance.<\/p>\n

              \n
            • Job Application Materials: Definitely \u201cexigency through the audience\u2019s agenda or concerns\u201d applies here. It\u2019s at the heart of any r\u00e9sum\u00e9 or job letter. What you can do for the company is the only thing a potential employer cares about.<\/li>\n
            • Business Proposal: \u201cExigency through the audience\u2019s agenda or concerns\u201d is the most appropriate.<\/li>\n
            • Term Paper (where the topic has been discussed in class): With an ongoing discussion to references made in class, you could use any of the final three strategies.<\/li>\n
            • Term Paper (where the topic has been written about exhaustively or where the positions people take are predictable): This is the most difficult type of paper to write about (i.e. abortion, gun control, legalization of marijuana). Use the reframing technique or the counterintuitive technique to create a fresh perspective.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

              These strategies are oftentimes used simultaneously, and you may have noticed that there is some overlap between them. Though they may be nebulous categorizations, they provide a useful tool for providing a sense of urgency to your writing. I have personally found that when I think about exigency, it helps add passion to my writing, and it gives me a voice as a writer. Without exigency, I\u2019m an aimless soul drifting in the dark night without a sail or a strong wind. But exigency brings with it a definition of who I am in the text (my persona), who my readers are (their personas), and the common bonds that connect use together. If you use these techniques it will help to animate your writing and motivate your readers to keep read- ing and carefully consider your argument.<\/p>\n

              Works Cited<\/p>\n

              Bloomberg, Michael. \u201cMayor Bloomberg Discusses the Landmarks Preservation Commission Vote on 45\u201347 Park Place.\u201d NYC<\/em>, uploaded by The City of New York, 3 Aug. 2010, https:\/\/www1.nyc.gov\/office-of-the-mayor\/news\/337-10\/ mayor-bloomberg-the-landmarks-preservation-commission-vote-45-47-park- place#\/2<\/p>\n

              Cope, Wendy. \u201cLonely Hearts.\u201d An Introduction to Poetry<\/em>, edited by X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, 13th ed., Longman, 2010, pp. 61.<\/p>\n

              Downie Jr., Leonard and Michael Schudson. \u201cThe Reconstruction of Amer- ican Journalism.\u201d Columbia Journalism Review<\/em>, vol. 48, no. 4, Nov\/Dec 2009, https:\/\/archives.cjr.org\/reconstruction\/the_reconstruction_of_ameri- can.php.<\/p>\n

              Dean of Students Office<\/em>. University of South Florida, https:\/\/www.usf.edu\/student-affairs\/dean-of-students\/. Accessed 3 June 2019.<\/p>\n

              Fisher, Max. \u201cIs the Cordoba House Good for America?\u201d The Atlantic<\/em>, 3 Aug. 2010, https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/national\/archive\/2010\/08\/is-the-cordoba-house-good-for-america\/344631\/. Accessed 8 September 2019.<\/p>\n

              Friedman, Thomas L. The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Cen- tury<\/em>. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.<\/p>\n

              Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad is Good For You: How Today\u2019s Popular Culture is <\/em>Actually Making Us Smarter<\/em>. Riverhead Books, 2005.<\/p>\n

              Surowiecki, James. The Wisdom of the Crowds: Why the Many are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economics, Societies and Nations<\/em>. Doubleday, 2004.<\/p>\n

              \n

              Exigency: What Makes My Message Indispensable to My Reader by\u00a0Quentin Vieregge\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

              This essay is a chapter in Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing<\/em>, Volume 3, a peer-reviewed open textbook series for the writing classroom.<\/p>\n

              Download the full volume and individual chapters from any of these sites:<\/p>\n

              \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 Writing Spaces: http:\/\/writingspaces.org\/essays<\/p>\n

              \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 Parlor Press: http:\/\/parlorpress.com\/pages\/writing-spaces<\/p>\n

              \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 WAC Clearinghouse: http:\/\/wac.colostate.edu\/books\/<\/p>\n

              Print versions of the volume are available for purchase directly from Parlor Press and through other booksellers.<\/p>\n

              Parlor Press LLC, Anderson, South Carolina, USA \u00a9 2020 by Parlor Press. Individual essays \u00a9 2020 by the respective authors. Unless otherwise stated, these works are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) and are subject to the Writing Spaces Terms of Use. To view a copy of this license, visit http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/, email info@creativecommons.org, or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA. To view the Writing Spaces Terms of Use, visit http:\/\/writingspaces.org\/terms-of-use. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, please contact the author(s) of the individual articles, who are the respective copyright owners. Cover design by Colin Charlton. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on File<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

               <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":274624,"menu_order":3,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-2201","chapter","type-chapter","status-web-only","hentry"],"part":1834,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/274624"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3143,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2201\/revisions\/3143"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/1834"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2201\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=2201"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=2201"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-newpaltz-engcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=2201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}