Alexander Fredrickson- RLW In-Class 1

1. How is “Reading Like a Writer” similar to and/or different from the way(s) you read for other classes?

When you are reading for other classes, you read “for content or to better understand the ideas in the writing”, however when you are attempting to “read like a writer”, you “carefully examine the things you read, looking at the writerly techniques in the text in order to decide if you might want to adopt similar (or the same) techniques in your writing.” In its simplest form, reading like a writer causes you to analyze the effectiveness of the writer’s diction, syntax, ethos, pathos, logos, and other rhetorical devices.

2. What kinds of choices do you make as a writer that readers might identify in your written work?

If readers were to analyze my writing, they would find a conscious choice of tone, diction, and sentence structure that corresponds to the tastes of my intended audience. When I write, I always keep my intended audience in mind as well as the mindset that they will most likely be in when they begin to read my piece. By doing this, I can play off of the emotions and preconceived notions that the reader most likely will already have in order to strengthen the ethos, pathos, and logos of my writing.

3. Is there anything you notice in this essay that you might like to try in your own writing? What is that technique or strategy? When do you plan to try using it?

Personally, I am very much interested in the particular way that the author is constantly thinking about his/her target audience. The idea of focusing on certain passages and analyzing the rhetoric within in order to consider the techniques used by the author is not something that I typically consider while reading a piece. I could definitely consider my audience more in my writing as well as the rhetorical strategies used by THIS author (his interesting use of ethos, pathos, and logos) more when I write.

4. What are some of the different ways that you can learn about the context of a text before you begin reading it?

There is many a technique that one can use in order to determine the exact context of a piece before they begin to read it. The reader should ask themselves what the intended audience is, what genre the piece falls in to, as well as the purpose of the piece. This will help the reader (you) to better understand the structural techniques use in the piece allowing you to better understand the overall message of the piece.