Blog Post #22 - Analyzing My Audience

For Blog Post #22 I will be providing detailed answers to the three "Questions We Might Ask When Analyzing the Text's Relationship to Its Social or Cultural Setting" from Writing Public Lives page 79.

West Midlands Police. "Day 312 - West Midlands Police - Questions and Answers".
11/7/2012. via Flickr. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

For this blog, keep in mind that I am writing for incoming students in my program who need to understand the rhetorical construction and situation of arguments in my field.

• What values, ideas, norms, beliefs, even laws of the culture play an important role in the text?
• The values of animal welfare are forefront in this article. In support of her position, she uses norms and beliefs that are commonly held by most Americans as to the fair treatment and welfare of animals. She also references the state laws that currently govern the industry in reference to the use of the whip. All of these aspects play an important role in the text and assist the author in guiding the reader to the logical conclusion.
• Does the text address these cultural values, beliefs, etc., directly (by directly mentioning and responding to them) or indirectly (by presenting a scenario or narrative that addresses them)?
• Both direct and indirect mentioning are used. There is direct mentioning of the current issue and keywords associated with it throughout the text. Direct mentioning is also used to inform the reader of the activity as it currently stands. The cultural values and norms are kept as indirect and I believe the reader does this as there is no reason to restate how 98+% of Americans feel. The opening paragraph does an outstanding job of bringing the cultural values to light immediately and the text never lets the reader divert.
• What is the relationship of the text to the values, beliefs, etc.? Is it critical of these aspects of the culture? Is it supportive? Does it seek to modify these aspects of the culture in a certain way?
• This text is mainstream with the values and beliefs of our culture. I believe it is a critical aspect of our culture as how we treat our animals often reflects how we treat one another. I text is not seeking to modify an aspect of our culture but seeks more for us to actually act on our beliefs and move to action in defense of them.