Language Arts Lesson 6
Writing Strategies: Organization and Focus (Grades 9-12)

Instruction 6-4

Controlling Impression, Coherent Thesis (Grades 9-10) | Active Verb Usage (Grades 9-10) | Elements of Discourse (Grades 11-12) | Reaching Rhetorical and Aesthetic Purposes (Grades 11-12) | Structuring Ideas and Arguments (Grades 11-12) | How to Use Rhetorical Devices (Grades 11-12) | Natural, Fresh, and Vivid Language Usage (Grades 11-12) | Summary

REACHING RHETORICAL AND AESTHETIC PURPOSES (GRADES 11-12)

As you may recall from earlier instruction, rhetoric is the art of speaking or writing effectively. Every writer has a motive when he or she writes. Every writer has his or her own point of view. The writer may try to explain, inform, anger, persuade, amuse, motivate, sadden, or ridicule something or someone.

A good writer chooses words that do a good job of conveying his or her ideas. A good writer writes rhetorically.

Writers often try to evoke an emotional response in their audience. A character or situation may remind a reader about something in his own life. For example, an author may write the story of a girl’s first dog. The writer tells about how she was given the dog for her third birthday. The author talks about how the girl and the dog grew up together and were best friends. Then she tells about how the dog grew old and feeble, and finally died.

If the writer has done her job well, you will feel sad when you get to that part of the story. In this case, the writer is trying to create an emotional response in you. Creating an emotional response in the reader is called aesthetic writing. Aesthetic writing is different from rhetorical writing, although both may be done together. Rhetorical writing is the conveying of ideas. Aesthetic writing is the conveying of emotions.

Now let’s talk about how you can write both rhetorically and aesthetically.

One of the tools you can use to reach both rhetoric and aesthetic purposes is point of view. Point of view is the perspective you are writing from. First person point of view is through a first person (“I”) narrator. First person point of view gives the writer an extra chance to be more personal. When used well, the writer can reach out and pull the reader in. First person point of view is especially useful when you are writing for aesthetic purposes – to draw an emotional response from the reader.

You can also write from a third person point of view. The third person point of view is more objective and less personal. This point of view uses words like “he,” “she,” and “they” instead of “I.”

Third person point of view is often used when the writer is trying to convey information. If your rhetorical purpose is to explain or inform, or even to tell a story from a more objective perspective, you should use the third person point of view.

Don’t think that you can’t draw an emotional response from the reader by writing in the third person point of view. You can use this point of view in a powerful way also. Your approach is just subtler.

Another tool that you will need to use to achieve rhetorical and aesthetic purposes is characterization. Characterization is the process of using actions, thoughts, and appearances to shape a character. Your goal as a writer is to turn your flat, one-dimensional characters into living, breathing people who will live in your readers' minds and even hearts for many years to come.

The characters you create, along with your setting and plot, allow your readers to connect on a more intimate level with your writing. This helps you to achieve an aesthetic (emotional) response in your readers.

You will also need to consider your style when you’re writing for aesthetic or rhetorical purposes. Style is the distinctive and unique manner in which a writer arranges words to achieve particular effects.

So how’s your style? Your style is actually created by the length your sentences, for one thing. Do you use short, clear sentences, or long, flowery ones? Your style is also shaped by your sentence structure, tone, and the use of irony. In poetry especially, it’s in the way words sound and look for rhythmic patterns. Your use of figurative language like similes, metaphors, and personification also contributes to your style.

When you write, you should try to use the fewest words as possible to convey your purpose. Choose the strongest words for the job. If your character is sad, try to find a word that is more descriptive. Saying that your character is devastated, depressed, or miserable is more interesting. Use few words, but use them well.

You may recall that irony is a disagreement, or incongruity, in the text. Irony is when the author says one thing but means another. Irony can also occur when the reader logically expects one thing to happen, but then the opposite thing happens.

You might use irony to make your story more thrilling or intriguing. Or you might use irony to shock the audience and to get them to see things from your point of view. Irony is very useful if you’re trying to get an aesthetic response from the reader.

For more information on the elements of style, click the links below.

Links for Students, Parents and Teachers

Now let's do Practice Exercise 6-4 (top). 

Next Page:  Structuring Ideas and Arguments (Grades 11-12)g (top)