Focusing on an Audience

I agree with Brittany when she says that not all students are college-bound, but they do need to understand the importance of writing for a certain audience. I am reminded of my professors, who ask us to write them professional emails, as if they were an employer or future business partner. Stressing the importance of writing for a specific reader is a lesson students will utilize throughout their lifetime, whether or not they are college-bound. In high school, I always appreciated lessons based on formal vs. informal language/writing. I also liked when teachers clarified with which one they expected us to write, especially when assignments tended to vary in genre or purpose. Dunn and Lindblom give us some great ideas for finding audiences outside of the class: local businesses, community organizations, Internet publications, print publications for teens and children, hobbyist magazines, retail corporations, employers, fellow employees (152). I think any student, despite their future goals or interests, could relate to and benefit from writing to many of these audiences.

When I got to page 186 in Burke's article, I instantly remembered an English teacher from my freshman year of high school. She had a list of "Banned Words" that we could not use under any circumstances. Burke's list includes: is, was, am, were, are, weren't, wasn't, and isn't. Ms. Gilner's list, in addition to Burke's, included: it, that, this, we, you, us, like, and many more (I'm drawing a blank). As frusterated as everyone got with these "banned words," I began to realize just how vague and useless they were. To this day, I still try to avoid using those words (at least the ones I remember). I don't think Ms. Gilner liked hearing us wine, but I know she enjoyed hearing us say, "I can't believe I use 'it' so much!" Burke agrees that he is "content if [his students] develop a new awareness of their writing" (186). I know I will love overhearing those "Ah, ha!" moments.