12 Mar Oil threatens Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, California, on Monday. Booms were deployed in the channel entrance to keep

Preparing to Analyze: Three Articles on Place

Make a copy of this document so you can type on it directly.

Writing Project 3 asks you to analyze three articles–from three different genres and for various audiences and purposes. You’ll come across various types of articles in your casual reading as well as your academic research. WP3 prepares you to discern the various choices that writers make to reach their audiences in various genres, and this assignment prepares you for WP3.

You should have already read the three articles listed below for the previous assignments. In those assignments, you had the opportunity to think through your initial reaction to each piece. Now, you’ll zoom in on how each article elicited that reaction, as you re-read the articles and prepare for your analysis in WP3.

Here, again, are the articles:

· A popular article written for a general audience: “I’m a Young Environmentalist Battling Climate Change through Tiny Actions”

· A popular article written for a targeted audience: “Why is California Still Drilling for Oil Despite its Ambitions Climate Goals?”

· A scholarly article from an academic journal: “Sustainable Communities for Whom?: Cultural Tactics in the Pursuit of Ecological Sustainability”

As you re-read each article from an analytical lens, answer the questions below to guide your analysis:

“I’m a Young Environmentalist Battling Climate Change through Tiny Actions”

1. Who is the intended audience for this article, and why do you think so? Is there a particular demographic, age group, educational level, or field of expertise of the intended audience? Things to consider: the magazine that it came from, length, complexity of the language, types of evidence used, whether/how sources are cited, topic, tone, and scope.

2. What seems to be the author’s thesis , or the central point they want to convey? (Remember that a thesis may be implied rather than stated directly.)

3. What seems to be the author’s purpose(s) or goal(s), and why do you think so? (Remember: “Thesis” is about “what it says,” while purpose is about “what the writer wants to achieve.) Examples of purpose: to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to call to action.

4. What types of evidence does the author use? (Examples, statistics, anecdote, and/or authority.)

5. Why is this evidence appropriate for the audience and context?

“Why is California Still Drilling for Oil Despite its Ambitions Climate Goals?”

6. Who is the intended audience for this article, and why do you think so? Is there a particular demographic, age group, educational level, or field of expertise of the intended audience? Things to consider: the magazine that it came from, length, complexity of the language, types of evidence used, whether/how sources are cited, topic, tone, and scope.

7. What seems to be the author’s thesis , or the central point they want to convey? (Remember that a thesis may be implied rather than stated directly.)

8. What seems to be the author’s purpose(s) or goal(s), and why do you think so? (Remember: “Thesis” is about “what it says,” while purpose is about “what the writer wants to achieve.) Examples of purpose: to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to call to action.

9. What types of evidence does the author use? (Examples, statistics, anecdote, and/or authority.)

10. Why is this evidence appropriate for the audience and context?

“Sustainable Communities for Whom?: Cultural Tactics in the Pursuit of Ecological Sustainability”

11. Who is the intended audience for this article, and why do you think so? Is there a particular demographic, age group, educational level, or field of expertise of the intended audience? Things to consider: the publication that it came from (the journal title is printed at the bottom of each page), length, complexity of the language, types of evidence used, whether/how sources are cited, topic, tone, and scope.

12. What seems to be the author’s thesis , or the central point they want to convey? (Remember that a thesis may be implied rather than stated directly.)

13. What seems to be the author’s purpose(s) or goal(s), and why do you think so? (Remember: “Thesis” is about “what it says,” while purpose is about “what the writer wants to achieve.) Examples of purpose: to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to call to action.

14. What types of evidence does the author use? (Examples, statistics, anecdote, and/or authority.)

15. Why is this evidence appropriate for the audience and context?