Exigency in Writing

Overview

Definition: Exigency is the need to make a message relevant and compelling to the reader, specifically at a particular time and place.
Purpose: It serves to hold a reader's interest by explaining why the topic matters now and for the intended audience.
Application: Useful in writing to invoke reader engagement and focus on the rhetorical context.

General Writing: Exigency is about making the reader see the text as indispensable. It’s not just about logic and evidence but maintaining the reader's attention.
Classroom Setting: Even when writing for a captive audience like in a classroom, exigency helps stand out among similar topics and engages skeptical hypothetical audiences.

Audience's Agenda or Concerns
- Connect the thesis with the audience's interests.
- Use persona to align writer and reader concerns.
Gap in the Research
- Find something new to contribute to an ongoing discussion.
- Relate the argument to unanswered questions in the field.
Reframing the Subject Matter
- Shift the understanding of the issue to fit a new context.
- Example: Mayor Bloomberg used historical context to reframe a controversial issue about religious buildings.
Radical Reinterpretation
- Present a bold claim or counterintuitive idea to capture attention.
- Example: Titles like "The World is Flat" challenge traditional perspectives.

Job Application Materials: Focus on the audience's needs and concerns.
Literary Analysis: Often involves identifying a gap in the research or reframing.
Business Proposals: Relate directly to the audience's agenda.
Term Papers: Choose strategies based on the topic's familiarity and previous discussions.