Kevin Roozen’s “Writing Is a Social and Rhetorical Activity,” advocates that when writing authors must not only convey information correctly/concisely, but that they must also do so with an audience in mind. He asserts that regardless of the task being performed at hand, we unconsciously write in terms of addressing the necessities for a specific group and/or individual. Furthermore, as the author points out, by doing so we in turn connect ourselves to other people ranging from family, friends, coworkers, and even our future selves. Thus, Roozen argues that writing is something that should be essentially considered as rhetoric for the better understanding of context and who it addresses.
Upon reading “Writing Is a Social and Rhetorical Activity,” I learned that writing is an ability that should always take an audience and purpose into mind. As Kevin Roozen directly advocates:
“Writers are always doing the rhetorical work of addressing the needs and interests of a particular audience, even if unconsciously…. Writing puts the writer in contact with other people, but the social nature of writing goes beyond the people writers draw upon and think about. It also encompasses the countless people who have shaped the genres, tools, artifacts, technologies, and places writers act with as they address the needs of their audiences.”
Altogether, the action/process of writing encompasses the imperative need for centering your text around to whom the information will be conveyed and that which what you are writing. Without this form of social bonding, we would lose the link binding us to one another through the conventions we have established (like books, manuscripts, etc.).
In addition, by providing examples, from within Roozen’s essay, of a pharmaceutical setting to even a father writing a birthday card, this in turn helped me as a reader to understand the message being conveyed of the importance of connecting to others in writing. This depicts that there is always logical backing to writing and that there is an overall purpose in what we write.
Additionally, as exemplified by the University of Nevada, Reno’s Writing and Speaking Center video, “Writing With Your Audience in Mind,” your thinking is not coherently known by others and as such they must try to formulate/recreate your thinking. A reader does so by connecting it to their own prior knowledge and relating it to the expectations for the subject. Nevertheless, the author must then also communicate in an understandable way for their specific audience to avoid confusion.
Thus, by applying this knowledge of audience/purpose to my own writing, I am positive that it will make me able to clearly advocate my thinking!
