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Think about TV ads. Analyze. Ask questions. |
Consider these ideas for your own compositions. |
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WHAT'S
THE PURPOSE OF THE AD?
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WHAT'S
THE PURPOSE OF YOUR COMPOSITION?
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The purpose of an ad is persuasion: to persuade its target audience to respond in some way, to do something or to believe something, now or later. Most ads we see simply say, "Buy this." As a means to this end, ads might entertain us or inform us, but their basic purpose, their goal, is to persuade us. Ads may win awards for being funny, interesting, or being artsy. But, if they don't sell the product, they don't achieve their purpose. Language is purposeful behavior, for survival and growth. Communication is not empty chatter, random noises or meaningless marks. Scholars identify three main purposes: exposition, persuasion, and expression. These ultimate purposes have great impact on writing. Exposition is usually topic-centered; persuasion is audience-centered; expression is writer-centered. Exposition is concerned with information-transfer in which clarity, simplicity, and fixed denotative words are very desirable. Persuasion, unlike exposition, often seeks ambiguity, multiplicity, and suggestiveness in words to encourage audiences to co-create, to add their own meanings and feelings, to infer. Persuasion is primarily concerned with manipulating the audience's feelings, unlike expressive literature (poetry and fiction) in which the writers may be primarily concerned with exhibiting their own personal feelings. Unlike poets, novelists, and some essayists, who sometimes disregard their audience's needs, persuaders are primarily concerned with the audience's needs, and with results. Persuasion is judged by effectiveness: does it work? Does it persuade?
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In expository writing, the purpose is primarily to transfer information, clearly, coherently, and cogently. Thus, a memo or a well written list can be "good" writing. In contrast, a poorly-written list might err in sequence or proportion, or contain unrelated trivia. But, in addition to basic information-transfer, much of our expository writing follows social conventions appropriate to the situation. Expressive literature (e.g. poetry, fiction) has different goals, is often more complex and subtle, and is endlessly debatable. Instructors sometimes ask also for personal narratives, or informal essays, expressing your feelings or opinions. Such subjective essays are useful ways of loosening up, or getting over writer's block, or even helping self-discovery. But, in most expository writing, the focus is on the topic, not on the writer's self. Purpose also determines the writer's role. In expository writing, the writer is a reporter, a recorder, or a teacher (how to do it). In persuasion, the writer is a persuader, a peddler, or a preacher (what should be done). In expressive writing, the writer is a delighter, an entertainer, or a storyteller. (When the poet is didactic, then it's persuasion -- with frills.) As a writer, ask yourself: What is the purpose of this writing? To inform? To persuade? To entertain? What effect do you want to have on the audience? To increase their knowledge, their understanding? To move them to do something or to believe something? To change them? To entertain them? Problems commonly occur when we have multiple and mixed goals. It helps to sort out our goals, list them, and set priorities. If you aren't sure about the purpose of a writing assignment, ask the person who assigned it.
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| | Welcome | Purpose | Audience | Limits | Structure | Attention | Confidence | Explicit | Implicit | Response| Omission | |
