Kairos and Exigence Lesson and Quiz

Lesson by Amanda Bales

Description (for Instructors)

This online lesson builds upon students’ understanding of rhetorical situations by introducing the terms “kairos” and “exigence.” Students learn what these terms are and how they relate to rhetorical effectiveness, and they are asked to conceptualize how they (should) affect the writing process in both day-to-day and professional scenarios.

This lesson uses texts from Writing Commons and ThoughtCo. that introduce and explore these rhetorical terms. It also incorporates a short writing “quiz” in which students explore, critically analyze, and apply their understandings of kairos and exigence to previous experiences with texts.

This lesson was originally formatted using two resources on the Moodle CMS: 1.) a list of linked sources featured on the course’s weekly assignments page, and 2.) a short-answer quiz.

Lesson Guide (for Students)

In this lesson and accompanying quiz, we will explore the terms “kairos” and “exigence,” as well as their application to rhetorical effectiveness. We will expand our understanding of rhetorical situations and apply our knowledge to situations both within and without BTW 250.

Be sure to complete the quiz questions listed after the listed resources.

Have the following resources open and/or available:

Lesson & Quiz (for Students)

Instructions

1.) Read texts: Read and take notes on the following texts:

Quiz

Answer the following questions as specifically and thoroughly as possible.

  1. In your own words, why is it important to understand the rhetorical situation of a text before reading it?
  2. What is kairos? Why is it an important concept for writers and readers?
  3. Give your own example of a text that you think meets the moment, or one that egregiously missed it.
  4. In your own words, what is exigence?
  5. In your own words, why is exigence an important concept for writers and readers?
  6. How do kairos and exigence differ?

Examples

Student Example 1

1.) It is important to understand the rhetorical situation to more effectively analyze a text and its underlying messages. By properly understanding a text, the reader can uncover a deeper meaning to the work and clearly interpret the author’s intent.

2.) Kairos is the opportune moment to do something. It involves both time and place and adds to the impact of the text. It is an important concept to grasp because a powerful piece can be undercut if the external circumstances do not correlate with the content of the given work.

3.) The Gettysburg address is a text that meets the moment. Lincoln delivered the speech shortly after the Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg, a critical moment in the war that marked a turning point. His timing served as a rallying cry for the Union and defined the war as a fight for liberty and equality.

4.) Exigence is the issue that prompts an author to create their text.

5.) Exigence can be used to determine the motives behind a text. It also allows the reader to understand the nuances of the situation and ask the right questions to get the most out of the text.

6.) Kairos focuses on whether it is the most appropriate time to address the given situation, by focusing on that particular instance to make an effective point. Exigence, on the contrary, focuses on the issue itself and whether there is a need to address the circumstance at all.

Student Example 2

(1) In your own words, why is it important to understand the rhetorical situation of a text before reading it?

It is very important to understand the rhetorical situation of a text before reading it because it changes the entire meaning of the text itself. It’s quite ironic actually because earlier this week with LS assignment 3, I was in a rush while battling a fever and migraines and trying to keep up with my project manager position and all 6 classes. In doing so, I didn’t understand the assignment’s true task, which was to realize that it was a satirical piece about scoliosis. I think it’s a quite valuable lesson to learn from since all it would’ve taken was a few minutes of background reading about the “wwnews” website to realize that it is a satirical website. Instead of doing so, though, it revealed to me just how autopilot of a mindset we as humans tend to have. Knowing the rhetorical situation allows for a reader to understand the writing the way the author intended rather than skewing it to fit our own lens/perceptions. It is crucial to understand the rhetoric to capture the intended meaning of the writing and avoid fickle-minded interpretations.

(2) What is kairos? Why is it an important concept for writers and readers?

Kairos is a concept that comes from ancient interpretations of rhetoric. It is centuries old and it is frankly knowing what is most appropriate in any specific situation. It can be defined as saying the correct thing at the correct time. This is important for readers and writers because kairos is timeliness. It puts value to the attention and time of the audience, allowing for concise and immediately applicable words to be said. Rather than thinking of Kairos as the quantitative definition of “time”, it can be interpreted as taking advantage of or creating a perfect moment to deliver a message– therefore, it is being present and aware of the speaker and audience.  It is important from the reader/viewer’s end to understand Kairos because oftentimes, advertisements are appealing to the current moment and can sway us to think we need something, such as a college campus add referring to your first week of classes and offering a deal for a bus pass. On the other hand, it is important as a writer so that you can appeal to the current moment and find the ideal delivery or execution for your writing/speech.

(3) Give your own example of a text that you think meets the moment or one that egregiously missed it.

One great example of kairos to me is a podcast I listened to earlier this week regarding picking up on new habits and letting go of old ones. In the language, the speaker intricately crafted each sentence to disconnect the listener from their past actions and focus on the now. He emphasized how it is illusory for us to hold ourselves to past actions. Instead, we should take action now. He mentioned that all it takes is 5 seconds to make a decision that can completely change the trajectory of your life. The podcast spoke to me through a kairos appeal in the sense that I urgently took action and focused on the current situation in front of me.

(4) In your own words, what is exigence?

Exigence is a reason for a message, almost like a demand. It is an issue that could be altered or solved through language. It is what gives successful rhetoric a reason for the message. It is what prompts the author to make the writing before he/she even writes it. 

(5) In your own words, why is exigence an important concept for writers and readers?

Exigence is important for writers because it is what drives them to write in the first place. WIthout an exigence, writing would be pointless and merely just run-on thoughts of our stream of consciousness. Instead, exigence gives a root reason and is the push for a writer to craft a message. It is like a call to action, and the action is language. It is important for a reader to understand exigence to gain an understanding that there IS deeper meaning to writing, that there was a drive for the author to write the piece. When viewing out of this lens, it becomes easier to see why an author wrote what they did and how they did it.

(6) How do kairos and exigence differ?

Kairos is the timeliness of writing in the qualitative sense that it is vulnerable to the present moment and brings the audience and writer to the right moment and time. Exigence is the lighter fluid to the flame that is kairos. It is what drives the writing and the reason why the flame is lit up in the first place. Exigence is the core root of why writing exists and the demand for which language is needed or used.