Weekend Review

After this week of reading and discussion, I am more familiar with the process of professional writing. I feel that I now know the nature of the work and how the writer prepares for his or her assignment.

However, I am still confused as to how a professional writer differentiates between textual, individual, and social prospective.
Is it important to focus on one of these prospectives when analyzing writing, or can a writer use a combination of perspectives in one work?

The Process of Communication in the Workplace

In order to participate effectively in “the continuous process of communication,” a professional writer must be able to efficiently correspond with his colleagues in the workplace through documents and other written works. The writer must consider who he is writing to and what type of language will be best understood by this particular audience. When considering audience, the writer should be aware of what knowledge his readers already possess and what material will need the greatest amount of explanation. It is valuable for the professional writer to consider what type of discourse community he is directing his writing towards. The writer must consider the ideologies of the particular community and how these beliefs will influence audience perception of a document. These considerations will aide the writer in deciding what types of language to use.

Once the professional writer has obtained the necessary information on his audience and material, the writer must use his knowledge to write a document that will be easily understood by his or her colleagues. If the writer uses overly complicated diction or sentence structure, the audience may become too concerned with deciphering the structure of the document and overlook its meaning. Therefore, the professional writer must create a document that communicates his purpose without confusing readers.

Rhetorical Methods Throughout Our Country and Our Communities

2. John Stewart feels that the state of argument in America has become theatrical and has began to serve as a form of entertainment where neither party listens or responds to the other. Instead, both parties shout their opinions at each other and rarely succeed at changing the minds of their opponents. I have witnessed similar arguments among my peers and classmates that strongly resemble the description of the television show Crossfire. These young people tend to declare their opinions through yelling at others and are more concerned with asserting their own opinions then changing the views of others.

I can distinguish these types of theatrical arguments from the rhetorically engaged by paying particular attention to the strategies used by those participating in the argument. Rhetorically engaged individuals support their opinions with testimony and facts. These individuals also use rhetorical proofs, such as ethos, pathos, and logos, to prove their own credibility while also appealing to the emotions and reason of their audience. Theatrical arguments differ from rhetoric in that they lack sufficient support for their main points and opinions. Therefore, they are less able to influence and change the opinions of their audience.


4. There are several means of persuasion used throughout my community to influence the opinions of its members and persuade individuals to change their views about particular issues. I feel that some of the most persuasive means are issues present in the media, especially those enforced and supported by celebrities or political figures. Members of my community are influenced by people they admire and respect. Parents, teachers, coaches, and other family members play a key role in influencing political, religious, and moral values. If a child is raised by family members who hold negative feelings or resentment towards a certain race, the child is more likely to develop racist beliefs.

I also feel individuals are greatly influenced by issues present in the media, especially those enforced and supported by celebrities or political figures. If a person greatly admires a movie star or professional athlete who speaks out about wildlife conservation, that person is more likely to support and defend the protection of wild animals. This type of influence can also sway a person’s decision whether or not to smoke or consume alcohol based on the behaviors of a celebrity whom they admire. Political figures can have similar impacts on members of a community. If a woman respects her governor or congressman, she is more likely to support the political decisions and viewpoints of that individual.

Arguments:

My mother and father are both Catholic and were both raised in Catholic families. Therefore, I am a member of the Catholic Church and a strong follower of their faith.

My history teacher is a democrat and I agree with his beliefs on most political issues. Therefore, I will register to vote as a democrat.

My older sister has never used drugs and insists that they are wrong. I respect my sister and value her opinion. Therefore, I do not use drugs.

I admire Kate Hudson as an actress and enjoy watching her movies. She is very thin and follows a strict diet. Therefore, I will go on the same diet as Kate Hudson so that I can be as thin as the actress I look up to.

I am a fan of Lance Armstrong. I admire his efforts to overcome cancer and raise money to support the fight to find a cure. Therefore, I volunteer through that LIVESTRONG Lance Armstrong foundation and strive to find new ways to help fight cancer.

Jack Selzer "The Composing Process of an Engineer"

1. Why did Selzer want to study how an engineer writes?

Selzer decided to study how an engineer writes because he felt that little research had been done on scientists, engineers, and other professionals who are not necessarily classified as professional writers. Selzer felt that by completing this research, he could help to discover methods for teachers to instruct students on how to write in a scientific environment, and therefore better prepare students for future occupations.

2. What did you find interesting/unique/suprising about Selzer's answer to the question of how engineers plan, arrange, write, and revise? How did Selzer convince you he was correct or on target?

I found it interesting how Selzer discovered how Nelson refered to and incorporated previously completed works into new projects and proposals. I also thought it was interesting how little revising Nelson did aftre completeing his work.
Selzer's arguement is convincing because he thoroughly explains his procedure and methods for investigating the writing process of an engineer. He then goes on to explain how he carried out his procedure and how his results reflected his earlier opinions.

Careers of Professional Writers and Editors

The field of professional writing and editing encompasses a wide variety of occupations within an array of different organizations. Employment opportunities for professional writers and editors stretch from self employed freelance writers to software publishers. The majority of these professionals work in the information sector, which includes newspapers, periodicals, books, radio, television broadcasting, software publishing, motion pictures, and Internet publishing and broadcasting. Professional writers and editors hold positions as technical writers, communications managers, automotive technical writers, translation coordinators, and medical writers.
However, since the positions held by professional writers and editors are quite diverse, it becomes difficult to distinguish the specific duties and responsibilities of these individuals. While professional writers and editors perform a variety of tasks, each writer must conduct research on specific topics through personal observation, interviews, and internet and library sources. Editors perform the tasks of reviewing, rewriting, and editing the work of other writers. The work environment of professional writers and editors varies with the positions they hold. Some writers and editors may work in a quiet, private office, while others write and edit from home and on the road. Though the career path of a professional writer or editor may not be entirely clear, opportunities continue to arise in the fields of business, science, communications, entertainment, politics, law, psychology, multi-lingual corporations, publishing, and freelance.