Writing Purposes and Analysis

Writing Purposes

• Writing has multiple purposes, including exploring thoughts, expressing emotions, entertaining, recording events, communicating, and persuading.
• Writers often have multiple purposes simultaneously.
• Krugman's 2012 op-ed essay explored the declining marriage rates and male labor force participation among the working class.
• Krugman attributed this trend to a reduction in work opportunities for less educated men.
• Income trends in America, often presented in household terms, are misleading when analyzing individual situations.
• Women's increased participation in the workforce and reduced wage gap contribute to perceived household income advancement.
• Male high school graduates have experienced declining wages adjusted for inflation since 1973.
• The availability of employment benefits for recent high school graduates has decreased from 65% in 1980 to 29% in 2009.

Identifying Purpose

• Defining the primary purpose of a writing task—entertaining, informing, persuading, demonstrating knowledge, or demonstrating writing ability—is crucial.
• Writers should consider audience expectations and goals when defining purpose.
• Understanding the desired reaction (thoughts, feelings, actions) of the audience or purpose of the assignment (specific strategy or genre) should guide choices about writing style, tone, and content.
• Choosing the best medium, design, or genre helps achieve purpose effectively.

This quiz focuses on the various purposes of writing, such as exploring thoughts, persuading, and entertaining. It also delves into specific examples like Krugman's op-ed discussing socioeconomic trends. Test your understanding of how different writing purposes can overlap and impact communication.