Timing is Everything

If you had asked me a few weeks ago what kairos was, I would have had no idea. The truth is, I had never heard of this rhetorical strategy before learning about it in class. Of course I had learned the basics about ethos, pathos, and logos in high school, but in my opinion, kairos might be the most important rhetorical appeal strategy out of all of them.

Simply put, kairos is saying (or writing) something at the right time. It's utilizing your "window" of opportunity to make something relevant to your audience based on the context of what's going on around you. If what your writing doesn't seem relevant to the people who will be reading it, they most likely won't even try. This is why I think that kairos is the most important rhetorical strategy; ethos, pathos, and logos are important elements to consider when making a rhetorical appeal, but if your work does not appear to be relevant or important to your audience, they won't bother reading it at all.

One specific example that comes to mind when talking about kairos is the response of President George W. Bush following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. That night, President Bush appeared on live television to deliver this message.



This address was exactly what the American public needed to hear at this time and subsequently was a huge factor in uniting Americans all over the country. Bush used the senseless tragedies of 9/11 as a platform to strengthen the country's moral and patriotism, something that he would not have been able to achieve without the proper timing.

Rhetorical analysis of any kind usually begins with some reference to kairos; understanding the context in which something was written/created plays a large role in understanding the importance of the piece as a whole. Appeals to kairos attempt to make use of the particular moment in order to capture what will be appealing, relevant, and engaging for the intended audience. Effective uses of kairos take advantage of a particular situation or time in order to add a sense of importance and immediacy to the work.