[This Article appeared in the American Scientist (Nov-Dec 1990)‚ Volume 78‚ 550-558. Retyped and posted with permission.] The Science of Scientific Writing If the reader is to grasp what the writer means‚ the writer must understand what the reader needs George D. Gopen and Judith A. Swan* *George D. Gopen is associate professor of English and Director of Writing Programs at Duke University. He holds a Ph.D. in English from Harvard University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Judith A. Swan
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The diction inside of Dickinson ’s poem is very direct and straight to the point‚ with little wandering‚ even for the use of imagery. Even though some statements‚ such as "...an Emperor be kneeling..."‚ make it hard for the reader to follow the poem‚ it allows the reader to expound more on the poem and in doing so become more able to understand the poem and relate it to self. The diction used affects the poem great as well as the way it is interpreted. The opening line‚ "The Soul selects her own
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he is unaware of his present surroundings of another woman singing. A mellow tone communicates to the reader that the narrator is in a dream like state of mind. Through the mellow tone the reader can capture a mental picture of what he is imagining. "A child sitting under the piano‚ in the boom of the tingling strings"(L3) has connected with the reader of what the narrator is dreaming. The reader feels like
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In the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce‚ the story starts by immediately drawing the reader in‚ showcasing Bierce’s vast knowledge of literary skills: "A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama‚ looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The man’s hands were behind his back‚ the wrists bound with a cord‚" (Bierce‚ 1). Bierce fought in the Civil War‚ which inspired his collection of macabre Civil War based stories. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek
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all become involved. This means that the reader can understand the plot of the book‚ and will be able to clearly read the message being revealed by the three main aspects of it. Other minor things‚ such as the title of the book itself‚ contribute to the feelings of the reader‚ all of which are designed by Carmody to make the book exactly what it is. By using the characters to develop the readers understanding of "Good VS Evil"‚ the themes to allow the reader to grasp the message being sent by Carmody
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growing up‚ he still achieves his dream of traveling to America. Thus‚ readers sympathize with McCourt’s message of “this too shall pass” because of his unique writing style and engaging storyline. The writing style affects the reader by creating a connection between both the author and the reader. As he writes his story‚ the writing lacks quotation marks. Though I‚ myself‚ experiences no problem identifying who said what‚ other readers might struggle. However‚ McCourt writes Angela’s Ashes long after
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ENOUGH” Kids face postcode lottery The purpose of this article is to inform the reader of statistical information; including facts and figures. The purpose of the article is to inform the reader; those children in certain areas (postcodes) have a better chance of going to a good school. Even though the article is informative it gives a biased opinion and political view point. The heading is in bold text to attract reader attention. The article heading comprises of both fact and opinion. Evidence of
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conditions of the time period; they also give readers a better chance to connect with the novel by fully understanding the story. The first chapter of the novel is a prominent example of how the intercalary chapters help readers understand the setting. The chapter portrays how people were able to live in the heat and how they would be forced to stay in their homes when the wind
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and mystery to captivate its audience. These elements of the genre are extremely sensitive to the means of narration because the way the reader is presented with the information directly influences the way in which he interprets the information. It is vital to the success of the genre to foster novel and innovative ways to deliver the story because the readers of detective fiction are always attempting to outsmart the novel and unearth its secrets. Therefore authors must be constantly striving to
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unfortunate situation and has also made the reader sympathize greatly with the poverty sticken people of this area. The poet begins the poem with a simile “the skin cracks like a pod” which appeals to the visual imagery of the reader as it paints a picture of people with very dry skin in the readers mind. This simile is used very effectively as it not only adds to the visual imagery of the reader but also captivates the reader by hinting to the reader about the lack of water in an area which is
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