Writing Analytically, 6th Edition - Rosenwasser, David & Stephen, Jill [80]
And here is another example that treats the moment in particular:
The moment, or the specific time in which the essay was written, offers some valuable insight into what might have shaped Bartholomae’s perspective. First, it is important to note the other writers and thinkers Bartholomae cites throughout the essay. Take the author’s frequent mention of writer Pat Bizzell whom Bartholomae deems “one of the most important scholars now writing on ‘basic writers’” and whom he recognizes as “owing a great debt to.” He credits Bizzell with seeing how difficult it is for young writers to learn the complex vocabularies and conventions of academic discourse.
There are most likely other, more broadly cultural influences at work as well, such as the American political scene in 1985. In 1984 Ronald Reagan was re-elected president. His presidency and the conservative climate it fostered sparked change in Americans’ attitude toward education. Reagan’s policies mandated spending cuts and, it can reasonably be assumed, invited certain antiacademic and more pre-professional attitudes. In this moment, then, Bartholomae’s concerns about higher education and the need for students to gain access into the privileged world of the educated begins to make more sense.
Audience Analysis: A Brief Example
Consider the following paragraph of student writing on the same essay, this time focused on how the essay’s author establishes his relationship with his target audience. Here is the assignment the writer was responding to: Write a brief analysis of the essay’s rhetoric—the various methods it employs to gain acceptance with its target audience. (a) Who is the target audience? How can you tell? Cite and analyze evidence. (b) What decisions has the author made on how best to “sell” his argument to this audience? How do you know?
Bartholomae often uses the inclusive “us” to describe academia, putting the reader (presumably, academics) above the level of those being discussed. Students must be taught “to speak our language, to speak as we do, to try on the peculiar ways of knowing, selecting, evaluating, reporting, concluding and arguing that define the discourse of our community” (3). He effectively builds up the reader, perhaps making him or her more open to absorbing the argument that follows. He refrains from criticizing, including his audience in his idea and putting them on the same level as he is. He refers to the students as ‘our students’ and writes almost as though the reader is separate from any flaws in the current system. He writes to colleagues, with the tone of one sharing something new and interesting.
* * *
Try This 5.2: Locating the Pitch and the Complaint
Go to aldaily.com (Arts & Letters Daily, the website sponsored by the Chronicle of Higher Education). Locate an article on a topic you find interesting. It should be a substantive piece of thinking, as opposed to an editorial or a piece of popular commentary.
It is easier to find the pitch if you first look for language that reveals the position or situation the writer is trying to correct. Once you have done this, find language that reveals the position or positions the piece seems interested in having you adopt. Type out these sentences, and be ready to explain your choices.
* * *
SEEK TO UNDERSTAND THE READING FAIRLY ON ITS OWN TERMS
Most good reading starts by giving the reading the benefit of the doubt: this is known as producing a sympathetic reading, or reading with the grain. This advice applies whether or not you are inclined to agree with the claims in the reading. When you are seeking to entertain the reading on its own terms, first you have to decide to suspend judgment as an act of mind, trying instead to think with the piece.
While giving the piece