Reading Response 2

After reading another issue in “Understanding Rhetoric” and “Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking),” I once again am left with a lot more to consider and factor into my writing to achieve my goal of becoming a more effective writer! The benefits and ways of using identities in writing, another in-depth explanation about why it’s so important to always be aware of your audience and what you’re ultimately trying to argue in your writing, as well as the discussion about jargon and slang are probably my favorite parts of this week's reading. I also enjoyed the detective-writing exercise from Janet Boyd.

After reading the part about jargon and slang in “Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking),” I immediately realized that I had been subconsciously using some of these concepts. For example, a lot of my writing experience is from high school when I was writing for the school newspaper and discovering my interest in journalism. Even back then, for example, I realized the words and rhetoric I would use to convey the tone and my identity would be completely different in an article for the newspaper compared to an essay for English class. Even when discussing the same exact event or topic, the rhetoric will depend on the genre and intended audience.

I also found the fashion/clothing metaphor in “Understanding Rhetoric” extremely helpful in understanding the idea of identity in writing—just as you probably wouldn’t dress the same going to church, school, and the bar, the way you present yourself in your writing shouldn’t be one size fits all. For example, for the e-mail assignment, I’m very much aware that the way I would be writing it would be much different if I was sending it to a family member, old teacher, friend, etc, but the fact is I’m sending it to a professional person in a career that I’m interested in so my tone, identity, and rhetoric all need to reflect that.