Every day we are doing something rhetorical and/or social, why is it to say we never do it in writing? When we are writing, we write with the intention of our piece being delivered to a specific audience. In Kevin Roozen’s text, “Writing Is a Social and Rhetorical Activity,” he goes into depth about how structure, vocabulary, and medium all play a huge role in how to target a specific audience and the type of audience that will grasp your piece. Kevin also goes into detail about how we are used to being taught repetitive writing, and not focusing on the medium or structure of the piece. Writing rhetorically is the author’s message to the audience.
Writing socially is more accustoming to your audience, and knowing what they want so that people will want to share it with others. In all, it almost acts as if it is a system – everyday life has rhetorical and social situations, and even when being alone, writing at home, you still are writing rhetorically and socially.
When thinking of writing as being a social and rhetorical activity, it is extremely logical. The structure of your piece, text, or video always is shaped by the audience – the audience is almost what is all about. One of the other most important things is the medium. The medium is the way the piece was delivered or received.
When thinking of the medium, it is a very rhetorical and social activity. We want our texts or pieces to be delivered to the right audience, but to also be delivered correctly – we structurize and shape the piece specifically for the audience or who will receive or piece. All roles of writing rhetorically and socially are majorly important but applying it to everyday literature makes an even better writer.
Kevin Roozen’s text, “Writing Is a Social and Rhetorical Activity,” will be valued by me as a first-year college student for many years to come. Writing for an audience, the medium being captured, and the message being brought to the audience from the piece is all a part of writing rhetorically and socially. Kevin Roozen said in his text,
“Writing, then, is always an attempt to address the needs of an audience.”
The audience is almost always the main focus. We want our piece to appeal to the audience, relate to the audience, and intruge them. What the audience wants from its writers is their needs met. We have target audiences for a reason; so that their specific needs can be met by the piece. Most of all, what is the big deal with writing socially and rhetorically? I would say it is because writing socially and rhetorically has made many pieces greater, and writers stronger. Not only are rhetoric and social activities happening in every day, it applies to us in our own writing as well.
