Kevin Roozen states in Writing is a Social and Rhetorical Activity that writing is always an attempt to address the needs of the audience, even if the audience is oneself. A writer being isolated doesn’t matter as you are always drawing upon the ideas and experiences of others. Mr. Roozen responded and was influenced by many of people involved in this project, those who he shared earlier drafts and scholarships he has read over the past thirteen years. He goes on to say that quite a few technologies have shaped the way we write today by people across time and place. Technologies including computer hardware and software; the QWERTY keyboard; ballpoint pens and pencils; journals; and many other items. Closing his writing with stating that writing can never be anything but a Social and Rhetorical act, connecting people across our existence in an attempt to respond to the needs of the audience.
Yesterday I wrote a grocery list, seems insignificant but is very important for my shopping experience to go smoothly. Kevin Roozen had written “Writers are always doing the rhetorical work of addressing needs and interests of a particular audience, even if unconsciously.” Writing a simple grocery list was for me. I was the audience, intended for no one else to see. This list interacted with myself and what I needed for my house after having to throw all the groceries away after this last storm. This helped me stay organized with what I have and don’t have. Without this simple writing I could of have missed important items like eggs and bread, or all the condiments I had to throw away. It is important to understand the nature of social and rhetorical writing because it is the base to all writing, small and big. Without it, you wouldn’t connect to the audience you are writing for.
