The Things They Carried: Rhetorical Analysis
Audience Analysis
The target audience for this article would be individuals that take an interest in war and the lives of soldiers on missions. I would write my summary to target those individuals to encourage or discourage them to read or not read the article written by Tim O’Brien. The audience cannot be defined by age, gender, and backgrounds or educational level because it could be a wide range of individuals that take notice of the writing for different purposes. The audience may know about the topic discussed in the article if they are familiar with the offer but on the other hand someone like me that is not familiar with this specific author and writing style I do not know anything about his work or the article read. Some may not support war so they may be more apt to not continue reading after a short introduction of the topic. Others may really enjoy the topic discussed because to their interest in the war, soldiers and the author’s works. I feel as if the audience is distant with this reading. I could not relate to topic and it did not draw me in and make me feel as if I was right there in the action. I would play the role of a spectator because I did not feel that the reading affected me the way it would others and make them feel as if they were right there with the individuals in the reading.
Emily Van Hook Michael Seltzer
ENGL 111-0GD
March 24, 2013
“Reading and Responding”
“The Things They Carried,” by Tim O'Brien (American; b. 1947), a man that resides in Minnesota has written a story to recall his time in the Vietnam War. He did not favor the war but went and completed his mission as best he could as an infantry foot soldier. After the war O’Brien attended Harvard then decided to leave because an opportunity arose to become a news reporter for the Washington Post. He began his career at that and wrote his first memoir, “If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Send Me Home,” a fictional publication.
The target audience for this article would be individuals that take an interest in war and the lives of soldiers on missions. I would write my summary to target those individuals to encourage or discourage them to read or not read the article written by Tim O’Brien. The audience cannot be defined by age, gender, and backgrounds or educational level because it could be a wide range of individuals that take notice of the writing for different purposes. The audience may know about the topic discussed in the article if they are familiar with the offer but on the other hand someone like me that is not familiar with this specific author and writing style I do not know anything about his work or the article read. Some may not support war so they may be more apt to not continue reading after a short introduction of the topic. Others may really enjoy the topic discussed because to their interest in the war, soldiers and the author’s works. I feel as if the audience is distant with this reading. I could not relate to topic and it did not draw me in and make me feel as if I was right there in the action. I would play the role of a spectator because I did not feel that the reading affected me the way it would others and make them feel as if they were right there with the individuals in the reading.
Emily Van Hook Michael Seltzer
ENGL 111-0GD
March 24, 2013
“Reading and Responding”
“The Things They Carried,” by Tim O'Brien (American; b. 1947), a man that resides in Minnesota has written a story to recall his time in the Vietnam War. He did not favor the war but went and completed his mission as best he could as an infantry foot soldier. After the war O’Brien attended Harvard then decided to leave because an opportunity arose to become a news reporter for the Washington Post. He began his career at that and wrote his first memoir, “If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Send Me Home,” a fictional publication.