Revisiting Rhetorical Situation： An Analysis of an Ethos Dilemma in American College Students＇ Business Memos

This paper analyzes two major problems （inappropriate tone and infeasible solutions） exhibited in the author＇s American technical writing students＇ business memo assignment from the lenses of rhetorical situation and of the rhetorical appeal of ethos. The author argues that the students＇ failure to fully understand their audiences＇ needs and expectations and to offer workable solutions to the problem leads to reduced ethos, thus making the argument in the memos less persuasive and leaving the purpose of their memos unfulfilled. The author proposes that teachers of technical/business writing should endeavor to draw students＇ attention to understanding the nuance of rhetorical situation focusing on audience, purposes, and the constraints of each workplace genre and provide the students with more learning opportunities for workplace literary. Thus, as technical/business communication teachers, we might be able to better prepare our technical/business writing students for real world workplace written communicatio