The Bedford Book of Genres: Chapter 1

As humans, we all have our preferences and prefer one thing over another. We talk a specific way and we have our own distinct characteristics that define who we are in all aspects of our lives. This is similar to authors and their compositions and writings, who have to specifically target down the reasons behind the work they compose and their audience in order to have a larger impact. Authors make these decisions to better communicate with those who are listening, to tell a story, to educate and inform, or maybe even persuade. Rhetorical appeals are used to get these messages across to the audience to provide credibility and to be relatable. I have learned about ethos, pathos and logos, but I never understood their purpose, but I now see how they bridge the gap between the author and the audience. The author has more decisions to make when composing something than I ever knew, but it is necessary to be efficient to get the point across effectively. The platform, or mode, for example, is another choice made to identify with their distinct audience by choosing the appropriate way to communicate. Style is a very distinct characteristic that authors can be identified by, for example, Ernest Hemingway's style is lengthy, descriptive, and artistic in his language. The tone can make the difference between formal and informal depending on the subject matter and the audience. I admire the amount of dedication it takes to compose a piece from start to finish, when most of the planning is done before the writing has even begun.