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| Sebastian, "Audience?" 12/9/12 via flickr.com |
I'm writing a rhetorical analysis of an argument made in the English discipline as an example for other incoming students in the field. The students are coming into the program with a general understanding of an argument, but are having difficulty constructing one. They value clarity, articulation, and understanding. I have been asked to do this by a professor in my discipline, making her a secondary audience. She expects a well-constructed analysis of an argument made publicly in the field.
2. What position might they take on the issue? How will I need to respond to this position?
Since the argument of the essay I'm analyzing is rather complex, my readers could likely go either way in how I interpret the argument of the author. The students will be passionate about education, seeing that they're students, and will have their own pre-existing values and political stances which may influence how they interpret the authors argument. I will have to focus less on the politics of the essay and more on how the opinions in the essay are used objectively.
3. What will they want to know?
Both audiences want to know the specific construction of an argument in the field of English through the rhetorical analysis of and argument made publicly in the field. They'll be reading an argument specifically about education so they'll want to know how people construct arguments while remaining objective. They want to know the importance of author, audience, context, purpose/message, and rhetorical strategies.
4. How might they react to my argument?
My readers might have a differing opinion on the argument made by the author based on their own political opinions and might fine mine to be a misinterpretation. Hopefully, since my argument painted the author in a more neutral light, both sides will not have many political qualms with it. Since I'm writing about rhetoric in a field that highly values rhetoric, I will have to be cautious to not get swept up in the debate itself.
5. How am I trying to relate to or connect with my audience?
Since I am writing specifically for other students in my field, I have the immediate connection with them and their pursuits as a student. I have a connection with the professor asking for the argument, again since we are in the same field.
6. Are there specific words, ideas, or modes of presentation that will help me relate to them in this way?
By reiterating the subject of my argument and the fact that it comes from an argument made in the field, I hope to connect with them in regards to our shared field. Also, since the argument I am examining is in regards to education and funding, I establish another common area of education between me and my audience.
REFLECTION
After reading through the posts of Casey and Swati, I gained a lot of insight regarding how to think about my audience. Casey brought a lot to the table in how well she understood her audience and what they wanted. She went beyond just the prompt of "write an analysis" and applied what the students were learning from us to real life. She was also very realistic about how her essay will be valued by other students, while still remaining very dedicated to the proper execution of the analysis. Swati's post was very insightful since it was from a totally different field than my own. She also made a point to mention the important of focusing on the author's rhetoric, rather than the validity of their argument, which particularly stuck out to me due to the heated nature of my topic.
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