Rhetorical Elements in “The Importance of Writing Skills in Tech-Related Fields”
In “The Importance of Writing Skills in Tech-Related Fields”, Theresa MacPhail asserts that engineers should place more value and make more of an effort in improving their writing skills. There are many aspects in tech-related jobs that require a strong foundation in writing, yet there is a prevalent belief among engineers that writing is simply an extraneous skill. Theresa MacPhail attempts to dispel that way of thinking and prove that writing is in fact a necessary skill for success in the tech industry. Out of all of the texts that we have gone over in this class, this article is the most effective in accomplishing its objectives of convincing the intended …show more content…
She recounts the cases of various engineering students griping and complaining about, “...what they often see as a ‘nonessential’ course” (MacPhail). The usage of her anecdote is particularly effective when we consider that students in the engineering field are her intended audience. She is aware that the mention of other engineering students’ struggles will make the issue more relatable to her readers. Additionally, MacPhail consciously mentions UC Berkeley students in her anecdote in order to show that the pervasive aversion to writing even extends to students at a top-tier university. This anecdote successfully accomplishes her first goal of informing others of the writing issue among engineers, as well as capturing the attention of those in the audience who may find the problem as relatable. Her emphasis on the engineering students in the anecdote makes it apparent that she seeks to spread awareness on the issue and persuade her audience of the importance of writing in the tech industry. In comparison to MacPhail’s anecdote, the anecdote that Mike Bunn utilizes in “How to Read Like a Writer” is less successful in accomplishing his goal. While MacPhail is able to get her intended audience to connect more to the text, Bunn merely uses the rhetorical strategy to describe the events leading up to his epiphany and segway into his explanation on how to read like a writer. MacPhail’s superior usage of the anecdote is apparent in this
In “The Importance of Writing Skills in Tech-Related Fields”, Theresa MacPhail asserts that engineers should place more value and make more of an effort in improving their writing skills. There are many aspects in tech-related jobs that require a strong foundation in writing, yet there is a prevalent belief among engineers that writing is simply an extraneous skill. Theresa MacPhail attempts to dispel that way of thinking and prove that writing is in fact a necessary skill for success in the tech industry. Out of all of the texts that we have gone over in this class, this article is the most effective in accomplishing its objectives of convincing the intended …show more content…
She recounts the cases of various engineering students griping and complaining about, “...what they often see as a ‘nonessential’ course” (MacPhail). The usage of her anecdote is particularly effective when we consider that students in the engineering field are her intended audience. She is aware that the mention of other engineering students’ struggles will make the issue more relatable to her readers. Additionally, MacPhail consciously mentions UC Berkeley students in her anecdote in order to show that the pervasive aversion to writing even extends to students at a top-tier university. This anecdote successfully accomplishes her first goal of informing others of the writing issue among engineers, as well as capturing the attention of those in the audience who may find the problem as relatable. Her emphasis on the engineering students in the anecdote makes it apparent that she seeks to spread awareness on the issue and persuade her audience of the importance of writing in the tech industry. In comparison to MacPhail’s anecdote, the anecdote that Mike Bunn utilizes in “How to Read Like a Writer” is less successful in accomplishing his goal. While MacPhail is able to get her intended audience to connect more to the text, Bunn merely uses the rhetorical strategy to describe the events leading up to his epiphany and segway into his explanation on how to read like a writer. MacPhail’s superior usage of the anecdote is apparent in this