Analysis of My Rhetorical Situation

In this blog post I will break down my story into more specific sections.  Each section will go into detail on one of the following rhetorical analysis categories: audience, author, and purpose.

Matthes, Alain "Rotated Triangel" 6/8/2008 via Texample. Public Domain.

 

Audience

My story would definitely be of interest to dancers, particularly ballet dancers, as weight is a very touchy subject, and although acknowledged, is not always openly talked about.  I would also think that dance company directors would also take interest in this, as it criticizes two dancers from one of the best companies in the world.  Magazines such as Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, and Pointe, might be magazines that they would read regularly, and posting/publishing my article there would give it great exposure to this group.  I think this article would also be attractive to feminists, in particular women.  For the past several years this group has been helping push the "body acceptance" movement and seem to very much value the belief that everyone is unique and should not worry about attaining today's difficult beauty standards (although aimed at everyone, it in particularly for the empowerment of women).   Dancers may value their health, and sometimes are forced to push themselves in order to attain a "ballet body." Dance company directors value healthy dancers (they can work longer), but they also value the physical aesthetic of their company because, in the end, they are also business men and women. 

Purpose

Well, the purpose of this assignment is to essentially to present this story and its details in such as way that is interesting to the audience, but is also as neutral and unbiased as possible.  I don't want to necessarily make them angry at the critic's opinion on the dancer's body, but I do want to let them know why this could possibly be considered an issue due to her personal past with eating disorders.  At the same time, I want to present the side from the critic, so that the audience is not swayed by only seeing one point of view.  I want them to understand that Jenifer Ringer (dancer) is a professional dancer, not just someone who kind of dances around for fun.  I also want them to understand that Alastair Macaulay is a high powered critic, who has a past of "body-shaming" dancers in his reviews.  They should, but probably already know, that the body-appreciation movement is going on world wide, and also that companies are gradually (very gradually), trying to accept more body types.

Author (aka Me)

How many dance majors do you have in your class Professor Bottai? Only 2 that I know of, including me.  Although I have never been in a professional dance company, I aspire to one day.  I also began training when I was 4 years old.  Starting at age 12, I went into a pre-professional ballet school, which is meant to slowly acclimate you to what a professional dance experience is like.  You learn to deal with harsh criticism (some which is not constructive at all), and daily scrutiny on everything from your technique, to your physical appearance.  I was told both individually, and in front of my peers that, essentially, I was too big to be a dancer, or a ballet dancer at least. I get what it is like to be publicly criticized.
I was never confident with my body (even when I went through a phase of extreme calorie counting), and to this day, I am still not.  However, now I do value that it is more important for a dancer to be healthy and look healthy, not necessarily wispy thin.  What also drew me to controversy is the way Jenifer Ringer responded to the critic. She seemed to brush it off, and stay optimistic and confident.  This is something I wish to emulate.