Entry #4

The first passage is an example of personal writing. The author conveys the journey her took to Guatemala and how it affected her as a person. Once the whole story is gathered, we learn that because of this experience she has decided to start a NGO. Through the context of this passage the reader is able to learn about the help that is being given to Guatemala. Because this passage opened with an experience and that experience was later reflected in the writing it is a perfect example of personal writing. The second passage is an example of academic writing. The author focused more on research using specific evidence to back up the argument that he is trying to convey. It seems like it was written with a very formal tone compared to the first passage. The audience also seems to differ between the two; the first author seems to be speaking to a general public, as where the second author may be trying to engage people that are well-educated on his topic. The last passage is public writing because it seems to be trying to make something happen. The author was asked to debate about the poem and show people her view. This passage seems to be geared towards a well-educated audience like the second passage was. It was hard for me to distinguish between academic and public writing at first but I believe that by reading through the explanations of each and having to find examples it really helped me gain a better understanding of the differences. It is important to focus on the context and audience when you write because it will help make your argument stronger or it will help you get your point across.