Grant Davie's uses the words exigence, rhetor, audience, and constraints to describe rhetorical situations. Rhetorical situations are situations where the presenter, also known as the rhetor, realizes a problem with reality, displays the problem to audiences, and uses rhetorical persuasive techniques like ethos, pathos, and logos to convince them to join the cause. In this image the rhetor uses pathos as a tool to persuade its audiences. Pathos is the appeal to an audience's emotions. Pathos is most effective when the rhetor connects with values of the audience. The exigence of this visual image is child abuse, which is depicted showing an innocent looking child with a black eye and a beat up cheek. This image triggers the audience's emotions and creates awareness to the hardship children experience all over the world. In this image there are no tears in the child's eyes. The absence of tears shows a persevering young boy in need of help. It makes the audience believe in the child's inner strength, while making them want to help the boy at the same time. The image would still be effective with tears and might appeal to some audiences even more. A constraint of this image is it is a completely visual image. Although, no words are needed because the picture is so vivid. Another constraint is the there is no suggested solution. The rhetor has to rely on their audience to take actions and make the changes. Most people who see this image would be moved and feel sympathy, some people might express their thoughts, but very few people will actually do something.
