what is exigence

Exigence refers to a desperate or urgent situation. In rhetoric, exigence is an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak. The term comes from a Latin word that literally means to drive or force out. Exigence is an important rhetorical concept that helps us understand what brought about the argument in the first place and analyze the rhetorical triangle, which is the connection between the speaker, occasion, and audience. Exigence is also a rhetorical concept that can help writers and readers think about why texts exist. It is the thing, the situation, the problem, the imperfection, that moves writers to respond through language and rhetoric.