BRAC: Be Ready and Cooperative
What audience is the writer addressing? What aspects of the writing make you think that this is the intended audience?
The audience that the writer is addressing is fairly general. From what I can tell she is addressing anyone who may be interesting in the events that are contributing to the growth of the Fort Bragg area. I know that it is fairly general because she never gave rise to speaking to a particular group directly. She spoke broadly about the issues and positive effect of the BRAC movement.
What is the writer’s purpose or purposes? What does s/he want you to know, do, think, or believe after reading the essay? Is the purpose clear and articulated in a strong thesis?
The writer is trying to let us know about the military realignment plan known as Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC. BRAC is going to be a big thing in Fort Bragg and its surrounding communities and the author does a good job at pointing that out. The thesis statement in this paper doesn’t go so far as to telling of BRAC but rather chooses to describe very broadly how well the communities based around Fort Bragg support the base and its soldiers.
How is the essay organized? Is it effective for the audience and the purpose? Why or why not?
The essay is very well organized. The essay begins with describing Fort Bragg and its rich history. The essay then describes how the BRAC program is going to bring many new soldiers to the area. Then the writer goes on to state many ways in which the area will change, for instance in finance and education, as well as transportation. The paper ends on a good note by describing the key points of BRAC and its associated rough points, but mainly focuses on the point that the move will bring positive change to the Fort Bragg community.
Look at the source material each writer includes. How does s/he include it? Why does s/he include it? How do the writers cite sources and avoid plagiarism? Is other evidence (besides source material) used to support the argument? Where? Is it effective?
The source material the writer includes is slightly diverse but just isn’t too strong in quantity. I say it is only slightly diverse because while there is both research and news articles included all of the news articles came from the same source. This may be due to lack of coverage of the BRAC movement by other news sources. The sources are well formatted and used correctly throughout the paper. She uses her sources to help strengthen her points and in some instances, for descriptive means as well. Other people’s ideas are cited to ensure they are given credit and to avoid plagiarism. I can’t seem to find too many points that aren’t in some way directly related to the source material.
SAT Policy
What audience is the writer addressing? What aspects of the writing make you think that this is the intended audience?
It isn’t directly attended but a general inference can be made that he is addressing the high school students, all members of the high school system in general, and colleges. The writer’s tone in the paper is one of aggravation with the SAT system as it relates to college. That’s why he would most likely focus on letting high school students know about the issue as well as high schools and the universities that the students are planning to attend as a way of acting out against the system.
What is the writer’s purpose or purposes? What does s/he want you to know, do, think, or believe after reading the essay? Is the purpose clear and articulated in a strong thesis?
The writer’s main purpose in this essay is ending the practice of being required to take the SAT as a college applicant. He thinks that the SAT should be optional and only used to determine scholarship potential if the students desire scholarships. The writer does a decent job of explaining this point but reaches it after many small sentences. I believe the impact of his cause would be greater if he were to have a stronger and more concise thesis statement.
How is the essay organized? Is it effective for the audience and the purpose? Why or why not?
The essay is organized sort of awkwardly. For instance, there are random breaks into new ideas or paragraph that stand out. Also a lot of the writers points aren’t supported by information and while this isn’t a problem, it is when it’s an entire paragraph. The paper also seems a bit redundant in the fact that the writer is constantly stating the fact that the SAT isn’t good because it isn’t looking at the student overall. The act that it should be optional should also be backed up a little more by information. Therefore, the paper comes off weak and not too effective.
Look at the source material each writer includes. How does s/he include it? Why does s/he include it? How do the writers cite sources and avoid plagiarism? Is other evidence (besides source material) used to support the argument? Where? Is it effective?
The writer cites his sources correctly in the paper. However, there are several points in her paper that aren’t backed up. One such example is his argument about GPA. I think he could have included some more sources to better his research and argument. He has a lot of personal opinions but not enough facts. Some of his points are both valid and convincing but there simply needs to be a background for it to become a stronger paper.
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