Rhetorical Gazes

A rhetorical gaze is a tool used by an author of a text to get his or her message to a desired audience. There are a few different types of gazes that could be used, but the main four are business, social, engineering, and ecosystem. Each of these four gazes contain different components to get the message to the right audience. For example, when advertisers broadcast an advertisement on TV, they do it at a specific time when there are specific TV shows on because they know what their target audience is. During the Super Bowl, most of the ads on the TV are about beer, Doritos, or a skanky girl eating a hamburger or because they know the majority of people watching the game are middle aged men. Another example would be a commercial for a retirement home; they would show this ad in the middle of the day while Wheel of Fortune is on because they know their audience is typically older in age.

 

Please enjoy this fairly effective business ad during the Super Bowl: 

Broadcasting a specific commercial at a specific time to hit a specific audience is effective because the advertiser knows they are hitting the correct audience that is most likely to buy their product based off the time of day or time of year. All rhetorical gazes have these specific tools to reach their desired audience. 

Another type of gaze that is common is a social or familial gaze. A familial gaze would help the reader or viewer feel and relate things and memories to their family or other loved ones.  These feelings are best found pictorial form, like this: 

This picture shows a mother and a child exploring the wilderness together. This picture in and of itself can bring back personal feelings or past memories of experiences you may have had. That is the goal with visual rhetoric: getting the meaning to the audience.