Author's++Purpose



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Authors may have more than one purpose for writing. Author’s purpose can be stated directly or readers may have to infer the intent. Reflective readers are able to analyze information more thoughtfully when they know an author’s purpose. Identifying an author’s purpose may give clues to a reader for how to pace their reading. Students need to adjust their reading rate for various selections. Informational articles may require a reader to slow down in order to fully understand ideas described.

[|Author’s Purpose] is the reason why the text was written. There are four main purposes to an author’s passage. TO: 1. Persuade 2. Inform 3. Entertain 4. Express/Describe/Share

• It’s the author’s goal to persuade the reader to agree with the author’s opinion. • Even though the author shares his opinion, he may provide facts or examples to support the opinion. • Examples: advertisements, commercials, newspaper editorials, etc.
 * Author’s Purpose: To Persuade**

• It’s the author’s goal to enlighten the reader with topics that are usually real or contain facts. • Examples: textbooks, cookbooks, newspapers, encyclopedias, etc.
 * Author's Purpose: To Inform**

• It is the author’s goal to tell a story or describe real or imaginary characters, places, and events • Examples: poems, stories, plays, comic strips, etc.
 * Author’s Purpose: To Entertain**

•Expresses feelings or emotions on a certain topic, but does not try to change your beliefs •Uses emotional words and expressions, frequent use of “I” Examples: poems and essays
 * Author's Purpose: To Express (sometimes called Describe or Share)**

Practice your skills [|here]!

=Author's Perspective=

Author’s viewpoint, or perspective, is the way an author looks at a topic or the ideas being described. The author’s perspective bincludes the content of the text and the language used to present the data. Thoughtful readers decipher an author’s viewpoint, opinions, hypotheses, assumptions, and possible bias. Understanding author’s viewpoint helps students read analytically in order to identify the validity of information contained in the text. Students need to identify words and phrases that show an author’s strong feelings for or against a person, group, or issue. Students identify selections that present various perspectives on a topic.

Positive
The author uses words/language that convey warm, happy, supportive feelings toward the topic. Example: Some studies suggest that drinking red wine in moderation may benefit your overall health.

Negative
The author uses words/language that convey displeasure, anger, contempt, or a disconnection from the topic. Example: Drinking is hazardous to your health, to other drivers, and can cause your insurance to increase.

Neutral
The author uses words/language that is unbiased, lacks feeling, and can be viewed as impartial. Example: textbooks

Example: //Most city people think farm life must be relaxing because it avoids all the fast-paced foolishness that goes along with urban living. However, running a successful farm is extremely challenging because it requires a lot of hard work and perseverance.//

//Every single morning, you must wake up before the sun rises to start working. Every single day, no matter how tired you get, you must work the fields. Though you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor (quite literally) at mealtimes, the day’s work isn’t over until after the sun has set. If it is harvest season, you’re out there in the hot sun gathering the crops. And if it’s not harvest season, you probably still have the cows, sheep, chickens, and pigs to feed. In addition to feeding the animals, you must attend to them in other ways: milking them, shearing their wool, or gathering their eggs.//

//So if you think you’ll find rest and relaxation in farm life, think agai//n.

Now let’s ask those four questions to determine the author’s point of view in the text. In the second sentence, the author says, “However, running a successful farm is extremely challenging, requiring a lot hard work and perseverance.” This sentence directly states the author’s point of view. //The author’s point of view on the topic of farm life is that farm life is not relaxing but extremely challenging because it requires a lot of hard work and perseverance.//
 * //1. What main idea is the author trying to convince readers to agree with?//**

In the second sentence, the author uses the words //challenging, hard work,// and //perseverance// to describe farm life. These words have very different meanings from the word //relaxing.// This contrast leads readers to understand that farm life is the exact opposite of what they might think. In the second paragraph, the author uses the phrases //every single morning// and //every single day// to emphasize to readers that work on a farm never ends.
 * //2. How does the author’s choice of words influence how readers think about the topic?//**

In the second paragraph, the author shows how much hard work and perseverance farm life requires by providing numerous examples. These examples contradict the view the farm life is relaxing and show, instead, that farm life is actually very challenging. Reading this passage might convince city people to change their minds about what farm life is actually like.
 * //3. How does the author’s choice of facts or examples influence how readers think about the topic?//**
 * You have to wake up before sunrise.
 * You must work the fields every day, no matter how tired you get.
 * Your work in the fields isn’t over until after the sun is set.
 * During harvest, you must gather crops in the hot sun.
 * Throughout the year, you must feed cows, sheep, chickens, and pigs.
 * You also must tend to animals in other ways, such as by milking cows, shearing sheep, and gathering eggs from chickens.

In the last sentence, the author tells city people, “So if you think you’ll find rest and relaxation in farm life, think again.” This passage shows how incorrect most city people’s view of farm life is. //The author’s wants to change how most city people think of farm life.//
 * //4. What does the author want to accomplish in this text?//**

=Mood and Tone=

Tone and mood are not the same, although variations of the two words may on occasions be interchangeable terms. The tone of a piece of literature is the speaker's or narrator's attitude towards the subject, rather than what the reader feels, as in mood. Mood is the general feeling or atmosphere that a piece of writing creates within the reader. Mood is produced most effectively through the use of setting, theme, voice and tone