I thought this article was very interesting. It made me think back to things I've written in the past and how my intent was always to get the reader to see my stance on a subject. I'm not sure that I agree with her when she says writing is always used to persuade but I certainly see where she is coming from. When we research a topic we are about to write about, we typically search things we already know about the subject. Or if we have a strong opinion about a topic we are more likely to spend more time research the side you agree with than the side you disagree with. While both sides could be represented in a paper, you write with your heart and with more knowledge on what you believe and you write purely on facts you've gathered about the other side. Even if it's not a research paper, even if its just a paper like the one we recently turned in, our personalities, views, and opinions are all throughout it whether you mean it to or not.
I also like the way she describes herself as a writer. "By which I mean not a “good” writer or a “bad” writer but simply a writer, a person whose most absorbed and passionate hours are spent arranging words on pieces of paper."
Good post, Bailey.
ReplyDeleteI know characterizing writing as "always persuasive" sounds a bit over-the-top, but language is rarely neutral. Even the freest of freewriting usually has some purpose to it -even if that purpose is not explicitly to persuade.