Author’s Purpose & Point of View

What are our learning goals?

• To understand and identify the different purposes of texts.

• To understand how the author’s point of view affects the text.

• To learn about bias and how it can play a critical role in an author’s writing.

What is the purpose?• Did you know that

everything you read has a purpose?

• When an author writes something (book, magazine, textbook, newspaper article), he/she chooses his/her words for a purpose.

• The author’s purpose is the main reason that he/she has for writing the selection.

What is the purpose?

• The author’s purpose will be to:• Entertain• Inform• Persuade

What is the author’s point of view?

• When an author writes to entertain, persuade, or inform. He/she will have his/her point of view on the subject.

• Point of view is an author’s opinion about the subject.

How do the author’s purpose & point of view go

together?• Author’s purpose and point of

view go together.

• For some issues, you will be able to tell if the author is FOR or AGAINST something.

• The author will want you to see the topic from his/her point of view or through his/her eyes.

BiasBias- a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc… are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly.How could an author’s bias affect their writing?

Why is it important for you as a reader to be able recognize bias in writing?

• Propaganda is the “dark side” of bias. Propaganda techniques are designed to change your opinion by manipulating the truth.

• Some common propaganda techniques are bandwagon and testimonial.

Propaganda

Bandwagon

A particular activity or cause that has suddenly become fashionable or popular.

Loom BraceletsWearing Nike socks

Testimonial

Using an expert or celebrity to sell or support

I know the purpose!

• When you are able to recognize the author’s purpose, you will have a better understanding of the selection.

• Also, the purpose will determine how you read a selection.

Can a selection have 2 purposes?

• Some selections will have two purposes.For example, if

the article is about eating healthy, it will try to persuade you to eat your vegetables as well as, inform you about the different types of food groups.

Author’s Purpose: Inform• If the author’s purpose is

to inform, you will learn something from the selection.

Information pieces sometime use one or more of the following:• Facts• Details/

Instructions• Places• Events • People

• If the author’s purpose is to persuade, the author will want you to believe his/her position.

Author’s Purpose: Persuade

• Persuasive pieces are usually non-fiction.

• Although there are facts, it contains the author’s opinions.

• With persuasive pieces, it is clear on the author’s point of view (if he/she is FOR or AGAINST it).

• If the author’s purpose is to entertain, one goal may be to tell a story or to describe characters, places or events (real or imaginary).

Author’s Purpose: Entertain

Examples of entertaining texts include: • plays• poems• stories• jokes• or even comic

strips..

Is it a story, poem, or drama (script)?

Entertain

Yes No

Does the text make arguments?

InformPersuade

Yes No

Does the text give facts?

Yes No StartOver

Which sentence is an example of non biased language?

A. Gavin is thrify.

C. Gavin is a cheapskate.

B. Gavin spends very little money.

Here are examples of bias that were found in a newspaper about a protest. What does example A make you think? What about example B?A. “A crowd of more than 900 attended the protest.”

How could you say this in neutral (unbiased) way?

B. “Fewer than 1,000 showed up to protest.”

What type of propaganda technique is this an example of?

Can you think of other commercials that use the propaganda technique testimonial?

Testimonial

What is type of propaganda technique is this an example of?

Can you think of other commercials that use the propaganda technique of bandwagon?

After the Steelers won the Super bowl, Tosha went to the mall and bought a Steelers sweatshirt.

Bandwagon

Review

• Informative or expository writing provides factual information about a topic.

• Persuasive writing expresses an opinion (may use facts to support).

• All narratives are written to entertain, but so is poetry.

Practice

You will be graded on participation and completion, not on accuracy.

1. On a separate sheet of paper, number one

through ten.

2. I will describe a piece of writing.

3. You will write the author’s purpose: to

inform, persuade, or entertain.

1

The story of a teenage boy learning to understand and live with his father, who is an alcoholic Vietnam war veteran.

2

A list of the 25 richest athletes in the world.

3

An article arguing why Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever.

4

An “X-men” comic book.

5

The story about a young girl with low self-esteem learning to love herself.

6

A National Geographic article about the eating and breeding habits of the endangered bald eagle.

7

A website saying that a new shopping mall should not be built because it threatens an endangered bald eagle’s home. The website also lists other reasons why the mall should not be built.

8

A poem about bald eagles.

9

A magazine ad telling you to buy Nike Hyperdunk shoes because you’ll jump higher.

10

A sign saying, “Rest Stop Five Miles Ahead.”

Answers1. Entertain2. Inform3. Persuade4. Entertain5. Entertain6. Inform7. Persuade8. Entertain9. Persuade10. Inform