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Effect on Readers of Different Types of Writing

Writers use different techniques to convince their readers that they are speaking the truth, and among these are a careful choice of words, references to authorities, claims of evidence, and tone. Different types of writing offer different types of truth, and this as well may determine how readily a reader accepts what he or she is given.

Two articles from the supermarket tabloid Weekly World News from August 27, 1996 are carefully crafted to try to make the reader believe the extraordinary claims being made. Kevin Creed writes an article entitled "Woman's Corpse Stays Fresh as a Daisy--for 82 Years!" while Trace Hedley writes "Canals on Mars Are Full of Fish!" Both stories have titles ending in an exclamation point, and the writers each use an exclamation point for their opening sentence as well, a sentence that reiterates the claim made in the title. The device shows that the writer knows that the claim is extraordinary and yet fully believes it. Such publications have a reputation for accepting extraordinary claims as true and even for inventing stories out of whole cloth. The writers thus know they have to overcome some resistance if they want to be believed.

In both stories, the author appeals to authority. Creed begins his story, "Experts are trying to understand. . . ." He ends with the claim that this story will be investigated by five university scientists (though the university is not identified) and will be written up in the American Scientific Journal next year (if there is such a publication). Hedley uses authority in a negative way, citing NASA and the Pentagon as authorities trying to cover this story up so the public will not be informed. In the passage by E.O. Wilson from his book The Diversity of Life, the subject is the process of mammalian radiation in different parts of the world. Wilson's work is in a book published by a reputable publisher, and the reader of a scientific book would be inclined ...

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Effect on Readers of Different Types of Writing. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 11:35, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1689407.html