Rhetorical terms · AP English Language, SAT Reading and Writing, ACT Reading
Kairos
Kairos: The timeliness of an argument: making the right appeal at the right moment for a particular audience.
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What it means
Kairos comes from a Greek word for the opportune moment. A writer who understands kairos knows when an audience is ready to hear an argument and shapes the message to fit that moment, often by tying it to recent events or a decision about to be made.
Kairos overlaps with exigence. Exigence names the event; kairos names the writer's skill in seizing the moment.
Example
An advocate for flood insurance reform publishes her proposal the day after a major storm, when readers have just seen the damage and are most open to change.
On the exam
Kairos is a useful lens for explaining why a writer opens with a reference to a recent event or emphasizes urgency.