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Writing Resistance – Fall 2020
Class announcements and Discussion Forum
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Discussion Forum: “What to Think about When Writing for…” (DUE 11/23)
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Posted by Shamecca Harris on November 18, 2020 at 4:42 pmRead “What to Think about When Writing for a Particular Audience” by Amanda Wray
Post your response to the assigned reading (100-150 words) on the group discussion forum HERE. See discussion question(s) below.
- Discussion Question(s): What is one idea from the text that interests or confuses you? Why? After reading this text, what strategies might you use to write your Composition in Two Genres?
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The article “What to Think about When Writing for a Particular Audience” by Amanda Wray, talks about audience and how we use different tone, language, and word choice to appeal to the audience depending on who we are writing too and what we are writing about. The most interesting thing about this article is its breakdown of audience based on situations we have all experienced. I never noticed before that when we talk to our parents or write them an email (never done it personally) we use different word choice and talk differently to better appeal to that specific audience. I never noticed how verbally we apply these skills naturally. Its interesting to me and will help me properly figure out how I would want to talk to my audience to bring my point across.
After reading “What to Think about When Writing for a Particular Audience,” Amanda Wray discusses the importance of tone, language, and appeal in relation to who and what you’re writing about. An important idea addressed within the text is the comparison amongst writing an email to a roommate and an email to a parent. The way one presents themselves in their writing has an importance to their target audience. For a parent, whom you’ve spent time away from, you’d want to appeal to their sense of logic, emotion, and reasonability. As for a roommate, who you regularly, you keep the writing casual. This will help me to further write my Composition in Two Genres because my intention is to address a different audience in each genre and I now have more of an understanding on what factors I need to consider before beginning my essay.
After reading “What to think about When Writing for a Particular Audience”, the author points out different examples of writing for certain audiences. Amanda Wray starts with an understandable example of a professor asking undergraduate students about some antique furniture that was shown in a Roadshow. The students would not respond to these questions since they are not familiar with the topic. With this, the author established the first manner of writing an academic paper, essay, or email, which is knowing the audience that would read such an article. Some strategies that I will use when writing my paper is adapting to the tone, language and appeals to suit my essay. I will also use some additional questions that are provided within context, purpose, and audience in the rubric.
This reading reminds me of one of the first, if not the first, lecture we had for this class. Prior to this class, I did not realize the importance of keeping one’s intended audience in mind. This reading helped further engrain the significance of one’s audience into my mind. One idea that struck me from this reading is, “When you write to all readers, you, in fact, write to no one at all”. At first, I thought it was favorable to intend one’s writing to be for every reader. I am now aware of the fact that one’s message can be more easily transferred if one brainstorms their audience in terms of what should the tone, language, and appeals (logos, pathos, ethos) should be. It can be hard and messy to try to reach everyone depending on your topic of writing. I think using the example of how to ask your mom for money as opposed to your roommate for money was very helpful and clear. For my next assignment, I will use the template including in this reading which addresses the audience, purpose, context, and medium. If I can brainstorm and fill out this template, I feel that my assignment will be well put together and complete.
After reading “What to think about When Writing for a Particular Audience,” the author explains how you need to be adaptive with your writing depending on the audience. The author elaborates her claim by providing an example of a professor asking students about a show that was shown in a Roadshow. Since the students couldn’t relate to the show they were not able to provide an answer thus making the situation awkward and unfamiliar. Using this example the author explains how an author must understand the audience he/she is trying to target so it will be easier to get a point across. This can be accomplished by changing the tone, language, and appeal. In addition, the author can use rhetorical appeals to further connect to the audience.
In the article, “What to think about when Writing for a Particular Audience.” The author clarifies how important it is to get to know your audience in order to communicate a compelling and persuasive message. While reading, I was interested in how the author describes how different it is the way of writing, depending on the audience you are trying to refer to. Also, the way she teaches how our tone, language, and means of appeal are reflected on who the audience is. One strategy I would like to use for my Two Genre Composition would be the addition of tone, language, and appeals to suit my writing to my audience.
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