When analyzing any work of literature, it is important to interpret it from every angle. More specifically, it is important to understand the rhetorical situation that the work was created in. When breaking down rhetorical situation, one must focus on three major aspects: context, audience, and response. Being able to effectively identify the rhetorical situation of a work is crucial when trying to analyze it. More importantly, to successfully interpret a work in literature, one must identify the rhetorical situation due to the vast effect it has on the work and the understanding of a work. In Kwame Appiah's, "What Will Future Generations Condemn Us For?" the rhetorical situation has a major impact on the overall understanding of his work. In its entirety, Appiah's essay focuses on situation. However, when one takes into consideration the rhetorical situation of his essay, the overall meaning of the essay is enhanced. To understand the rhetoric situation of Appiah's essay, one must look at the context, audience, and response of his essay and then the meaning will be enhanced.

The context of Appiah's essay has a major influence on his work as a whole. The main point that he is trying to introduce to the audience involves context. In his essay, he tells the reader that actions of a particular time are only justified because of the time period that they live in and what is considered acceptable during that time. For example, Appiah discusses the issue of slavery, specifically in the United States in the 19th century. During that time, slavery was legal. However, today we look back on those times with curiosity of what we did and how we saw it to be acceptable. The way that Appiah views the importance of context is the same way one should when looking at it in a work of literature. The context of Appiah's paper is no exception to this. This paper was written to identify and discuss what today's generation will be blamed for and why. Just like Appiah discusses, this issue has happened all through history. One generation does something controversial, then future generations are left to deal with the consequences. To bring attention to this, Appiah writes about current topics that might apply to this sequence. Obviously, Appiah sees a problem with what is going on in the world, therefore, he writes this paper to bring the issue to the light so that, hopefully, our generation will not make the same mistake.

Throughout Appiah's essay, one of the most important factors that is addressed is the audience. In his essay, Appiah is clearly trying to reach the younger generation of today. The way the reader can identify this audience is through the examples that Appiah gives. First, he talks about the past and what issues today's generation is living with because of previous generations. Also, Appiah uses personal, plural pronouns which identifies the audience as individuals of the same generation as himself, or relatively close. Appiah then addresses current issues that today's generation is dealing with. It is clear that within his essay, Appiah is trying to reach out to today's generation to assure that they learn something from the past and are sure not to repeat it. Due to this, it is clear to understand who Appiah's audience is and why. Knowing the intended audience of this essay allows one to indentify where they stand in his essay. Whether they are included in past generations or are a part of the newer generations, they can take a position on this essay which then brings the idea of response into the picture.

One of the key aspects to understand when analyzing the rhetoric situation of a work is the response. In Appiah's essay, the response that he is looking for is one of understanding. His essay was written in hope that its readers would be able to take something away from it that would better the world. The understanding that Appiah is hoping to achieve from his audience is one of knowledge. Knowledge to know the past, understand the past, and learn from the past. Appiah tries to almost create this response in his essay by providing the examples at the end. By doing this, Appiah is trying to engage the audience by bringing up a personal subject, the examples of today's issues. By engaging the audience on a personal level, Appiah is able to draw a purposeful response from his audience. This response not only allows one to understand the essay, it allows one to see what Appiah was trying to get his audience to experience.

When analyzing a work of literature, understanding the rhetorical situation will give the reader a better understanding of the work. In any situation, understanding the context in which it takes place in can completely change its meaning. To best understand rhetorical situation, one must identify the context of the work, audience of the work, and response to the work. Being able to identify these elements is crucial when interpreting a work of literature. To fully understand a work of literature and make an educated analysis of it, the rhetorical situation is one the most important things to look at. Without understanding the rhetorical situation, one will not be able to effectively analyze a work of literature.
