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2.2: Purpose, Audience, and Content

  • Page ID
    28060
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    2.2.1: Purpose

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    Identifying Common Academic Purposes

    The purpose for a piece of writing identifies the reason you write it by, basically, answering the question:

    WHY??

    • WHY write a play?
    • WHY write instructions to the babysitter?
    • WHY write a letter to your congressperson?
    • To entertain a packed theater.
    • To inform them of your schedule and rules.
    • To persuade them to address your community's needs.

    In academic settings, the reasons for writing typically fulfill four main purposes:

    • to summarize
    • to analyze
    • to synthesize
    • to evaluate

    A summary shrinks a large amount of information into only the essentials, using your own words; although shorter than the original piece of writing, a summary should still communicate all the key points and key support of the original document. When you summarize, you give an overview of *what* the author says or does.

    An analysis, on the other hand, separates complex materials into their different parts and studies how the parts relate to one another. In the sciences, for example, the analysis of simple table salt would require a deconstruction of its parts, the elements sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl). Then, scientists would study how the two elements interact to create the compound NaCl, or sodium chloride: simple table salt.

    An academic analysis takes apart a source (an essay, a book, an article, etc.) point by point. It communicates the main points of the document by examining individual points and identifying how the points relate to one another. It focuses on *how* an author is saying or doing something. With non-fiction, this analysis is rhetorical--you're analyzing how an author makes an argument. With literature, you employ literary analysis, trying to explain how an author created this art.

    A synthesis combines two or more items to create an entirely new item. Take, for example, the electronic musical instrument aptly named the synthesizer. It looks like a simple keyboard but displays a dashboard of switches, buttons, and levers. With the flip of a few switches, a musician may combine the distinct sounds of a piano, a flute, or a guitar,or any other combination of instruments to create a new sound. The purpose of an academic synthesis is to blend individual documents into a new document by considering the main points from one or more pieces of writing and linking the main points together to create a new point, one not replicated in either document.

    An evaluation judges the value of something and determines its worth. Evaluations in everyday life are often not only dictated by set standards but also influenced by opinion and prior knowledge such as a supervisor's evaluation of an employee in a particular job. Academic evaluations, likewise, communicate your opinion and its justifications about a particular document or a topic of discussion. They are influenced by your reading of the document as well as your prior knowledge and experience with the topic or issue. Evaluations typically require more critical thinking and a combination of summary, analysis, and synthesis skills.

    You will encounter these four purposes not only as you read for your classes, but also as you read for work or pleasure, and because reading and writing work together, and your writing skills will improve as you read.

    Remember that the purpose for writing will guide you through each part of your paper, helping you make decisions about content and style.

    When reviewing directions for assignments, look for the verbs that ask you to summarize, analyze, synthesize, or evaluate. Instructors often use these words to clearly indicate the assignment's purpose. These words will cue you on how to complete the assignment because you will know its exact purpose.

    2.2.2: Audience

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    Audience Determines Content

    Thinking about the purpose of writing a report in the workplace can help focus and structure the document.

    A summary should provide colleagues with a factual overview of your findings without going into too much specific detail.

    An evaluation should include your personal opinion, along with supporting evidence, research, or examples to back it up.

    To help determine a purpose for writing, listen for words such as summarize, analyze, synthesize, or evaluate when your boss asks you to complete a report.

    Part of your job in college writing is to develop a writing tool set that helps you write appropriately and effectively for all kinds of audiences.

    Identifying the Audience

    Screen Shot 2019-11-20 at 7.01.48 PM.pngImagine you must give a presentation to a group of executives in an office. Weeks before the big day, you spend time creating and rehearsing the presentation. You must make important, careful decisions not only about the content but also about your delivery. Will the presentation require technology to project figures and charts? Should the presentation define important words, or will the executives already know the terms? Should you wear your suit and dress shirt? The answers to these questions will help you develop an appropriate relationship with your audience, making them more receptive to your message.

    Screen Shot 2019-11-20 at 7.02.37 PM.pngNow imagine you must explain the same business concepts from your presentation to a group of high school students. Those important questions you previously answered may now require different answers. The figures and charts may be too sophisticated, and the terms will certainly require definitions. You may even reconsider your outfit and sport a more casual look. Because the audience has shifted, your presentation and delivery will shift as well to create a new relationship with the new audience.

    In these two situations, the audience--the individuals who will watch and listen to the presentation--plays a role in the development of presentation. As you prepare the presentation, you visualize the audience to anticipate their expectations and reactions. What you imagine affects the information you choose to present and how you will present it. Then, during the presentation, you meet the audience in person and discover immediately how well you perform.

    Although the audience for writing assignments--your readers--may not appear in person, they play an equally vital role. Even in everyday writing activities, you identify your readers' characteristics, interests, and expectations before making decisions about what you write. In fact, thinking about audience has become so common that you may not even detect the audience-driven decisions.

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    Being aware of invisible readers is a skill you most likely already possess and one you rely on every day. Consider the following paragraphs:

    Audience: Parents

    Last Saturday, I volunteered at a local hospital. The visit was fun and rewarding. I even learned how to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. Unfortunately, I think caught a cold from one of the patients. This week, I will rest in bed and drink plenty of clear fluids. I hope I am well by next Saturday to volunteer again.

    Audience: Friends

    OMG! You won't believe this! My advisor forced me to do my community service hours at this hospital all weekend! We learned CPR but we did it on dummies, not even real peeps. And some kid sneezed on me and got me sick! I was so bored and sniffling all weekend; I hope I don't have to go back next week. I def do NOT want to miss the basketball tournament!

    When writing your own essays, you must engage with your audience to build an appropriate relationship given your subject. Imagining your readers during each stage of the writing process will help you make decisions about your writing. Ultimately, the people you visualize will affect what and how you write.

    While giving a speech, you may articulate an inspiring or critical message, but if you left your hair a mess and laced up mismatched shoes, your audience would not take you seriously. They may be too distracted by your appearance to listen to your words. Similarly, grammar and sentence structure serve as the appearance of a piece of writing. Polishing your work using correct grammar will impress your readers and allow them to focus on what you have to say.

    Audience Characteristics

    Because focusing on audience will enhance your writing, your process, and your finished product, you must consider the specific traits of your audience members. Use your imagination to anticipate the readers' demographics, education, prior knowledge, and expectations.

    Demographics: These measure important data about a group of people, such as their age range, their ethnicity, their religious beliefs, or their gender. Certain topics and assignments will require these kinds of considerations about your audience. For other topics and assignments, these measurements may not influence your writing in the end. Regardless, it is important to consider demographics when you begin to think about your purpose for writing.

    Education: Education considers the audience's level of schooling. If audience members have earned a doctorate degree, for example, you may need to elevate your style and use more formal language. Or, if audience members are still in college, you could write in a more relaxed style. An audience member?s major or emphasis may also dictate your writing.

    Prior knowledge: This refers to what the audience already knows about your topic. If your readers have studied certain topics, they may already know some terms and concepts related to the topic. You may decide whether to define terms and explain concepts based on your audience?s prior knowledge. Although you cannot peer inside the brains of your readers to discover their knowledge, you can make reasonable assumptions. For instance, a nursing major would presumably know more about health-related topics than a business major would.

    Expectations: These indicate what readers will look for while reading your assignment. Readers may expect consistencies in the assignment's appearance, such as correct grammar and traditional formatting like double-spaced lines and legible font. Readers may also have content-based expectations given the assignment?s purpose and organization. In an essay titled "The Economics of Enlightenment: The Effects of Rising Tuition," for example, audience members may expect to read about the economic repercussions of college tuition costs.

    Key Takeaways

    Purpose, Audience, Tone and Content

    • The content of each paragraph in the essay is shaped by purpose, audience, and tone.
    • The four common academic purposes are to summarize, to analyze, to synthesize, and to evaluate.
    • Identifying the audience's demographics, education, prior knowledge, and expectations will affect how and what you write.
    • Devices such as sentence structure, word choice, punctuation, and formal or informal language communicate tone and create a relationship between the writer and his or her audience.
    • Content may consist of examples, statistics, facts, anecdotes, testimonies, and observations. All content must be appropriate and interesting for the audience, purpose and tone.

    This page titled 2.2: Purpose, Audience, and Content is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by .


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