S2 authors purpose and perspective pre-reading_final

1. Authors Purpose and Perspective Pre-Reading
Section Objectives
• To identify the intent/purpose of a piece
• To analyze the intent/ purpose of a piece
Intent
When someone sits down to write something, there is always a reason for the
piece to be written. This is called the author’s intent. The author’s purpose of
writing is quite often central to understanding the main idea of a piece. There are
three basic reasons for an author to write – to persuade, to entertain, or to
inform.
It is usually easy to determine intent. All one needs to do is read the piece and
decide why it was written. Here are some examples:
Example 1:
In order to have a good interview with a prospective employer, there are a few
things that one must do. First, you need to look nice for the interview. Wear
something nice, perhaps a simple suit or skirt, minimal jewelry, makeup, and
other accessories. Also, remove any excessive piercings and cover any visible
tattoos. Next, bring an extra copy of your well-written resumé to share with the
interviewer. The organization probably already has a copy, but it is good to carry
one in case the interviewer doesn’t have it within an arm’s reach. When
answering questions in an interview, make sure to be honest, curb the use of
slang or jargon, and answer professionally. The last interview hint is to make sure
that you are ready to ask interviewers a question about the job you want.
Author’s intent
What is the intent of this piece? Is it to persuade you to go for an interview? Is it
to inform you about how to do well at an interview? Is it to entertain you about
the interview process?

2. This piece was written to inform someone about the interview process. One can
tell this because it gives facts without persuasion, and it does not make any
attempt to entertain the reader.
Example 2:
Voting is important. Your political views do not matter, but it does matter if you
do not perform your civic duty, which is to vote for the candidate who you
support the most. There are some people who think that their vote does not
count, but if no one voted, how would our democracy be any different from a
country that is autocratic? It wouldn’t. So, make sure that you are getting out
there and voting each time an election comes around.
Author’s intent
What is the intent of this piece? Is it to persuade you to vote? Is it to inform you
about voting? Is it to entertain you about voting?
This one is a bit tricky. First, we can rule out the thought that this was written to
entertain someone. It isn’t entertaining. Next, we ask whether this is an
informative piece. Yes, it does have some information in it, but is that all it is
trying to do? No, because at the very beginning of the piece it tells you that you
must perform your civic duty because what you have to say is important. This
piece is definitely trying to persuade you to vote.
Example 3:
Joey and Chandler were running down the street when they saw the funniest
thing they had ever seen. They saw a ridiculously large-sized caterpillar walking
down the street. As they got closer to the caterpillar they noticed that each
segment of the caterpillar was one giant balloon. Once they came closer, they
realized that inside each balloon was a person hopping. All of a sudden, the
balloons popped and there was confetti scattered all over the place. The men and

3. women disappeared with a loud beeping noise. Just then, Chandler woke up and
realized he must have dreamed the entire event.
Author’s intent
What is the intent of this piece? Is it to persuade you? Is it to inform you? Is it to
entertain you?
The important part to remember here is that we are looking for the purpose of
the piece. Itdoesn’thave to succeed in that purpose, butit is working toward that
goal. The intent of this piece was to entertain the reader. The piece may not have
entertained you, but you can absolutely tell that it wasn’t out there to persuade
you about caterpillars or inform you about dreams.
Credit: Agata Urbaniak
Concept Extension
The easiest way to understand/ analyze the intent of a piece is to rule out what it
is not first. If you can give yourself two reasons as to why the intent is not one
thing you can be pretty sure that it is one of the others. This way, you have
already taken 33% of the chance out of things.

4. For example, if you read a piece that gives biographical information about a
Supreme Court justice you can be sure that it is not written to entertain. Already,
you have proven one reason why this cannot be the answer. If you look at the
piece again and realize that there is nothing funny or amusing about the piece you
can be sure it is not meant to entertain.
Concept Reinforcement
Answer each question.
1.Frozen yogurt is a much healthier option than ice cream, and it comes in almost
all the same flavors. Even making a sundae with the works is healthier when you
use frozen yogurt as the base rather than ice cream. Making these small, easy
changes can really help your health and weight. Switch to frozen yogurt today!
What is the intent of this paragraph?
a. to entertain b. to inform c. to persuade
2.Onceupon a time, there was a young boy who loved bubble gum. At any time of
the day, he could be found chewing a giant wad of it. Grape gum was his favorite,
but rather than go without gum he would chew just about any flavor. One day he
set out to break the World Record for blowing the biggest bubble that he could.
On his third try, the bubble burst and covered him with gum residue. After that,
the boy never chewed gum again.
What is the intent of this paragraph?
a. to entertain b. to inform c. to persuade
3.Having a healthy breakfast is an important start to anyone’s day. Getting the
nutrients right when you get up helps your body get ready to face the day. Any
form of protein, some carbohydrates, and a source of fruit work very well as a
morning pick me up.

5. What is the intent of this paragraph?
a. to entertain b. to inform c. to persuade